[Location: Apokolips, Ignis: Stellar’s abode.]
“She let you see the Mother Boxes?”
“Yes…”
“You know how to use those things?”
“Do not test me, Stellar.”
Granny Goodness had drilled orders into Steppenwolf without letting him have a say in anything. It was evident that Goodness wasn’t impressed with Steppenwolf, even though the Queen herself decided upon him to lead the Legion. Goodness had briefly showed Steppenwolf the devices that would render the troops of New Genesis useless: Mother Boxes. Like light from a dead star, Apokolips would already be victorious before the people of New Genesis knew what hit them. Mother Boxes were powerful pieces of equipment used for a wide variety of militaristic activity. But the three that were going to be utilized in the invasion were specifically made for corrupting worlds. They were able to rearrange the molecular structure of matter, completely terraforming a world’s surface to mimic Apokolips.
“The world of New Genesis will flicker out… from existence…” Steppenwolf muttered.
“That’s the idea, right?”
Steppenwolf grimaced and looked up from where he was sitting at the tiny Apokoliptian he had come to see. Her name was Stellar; the astronomer that had sided with him against Gilotina in an argument about power. Stellar was one of the highest ranked astronomers on Apokolips, known for her ability to manipulate gravitational lensing in the search for sentient worlds to conquer. Steppenwolf was reluctant to outwardly call anyone his friend, but that’s what Stellar was. He had come to her for advice, staying most of the day.
“Why… do you always do this?”
“Do what, Steppenwolf?”
Stellar looked at Steppenwolf, fidgeting with a broken telescope in her lap. Stellar’s house was in Ignis, not that far from Steppenwolf’s in Vorago. The two had met because Stellar reported at the royal palace frequently to discuss her exoplanetary findings. They ended up talking on more than one occasion since Steppenwolf visited weekly. And Steppenwolf liked that Stellar wasn’t intimidated by him. She never acted subordinate and even treated him somewhat flippantly at times, which was a bit irritating. But it was a fracture of light in an otherwise monotonous routine.
“You know… This telescope isn’t used for my mission. It’s obviously too small. I just built it so I could look at those strange mirages better.” Stellar explained, referring to ghostly illusions that occasionally appeared in Apokoliptian skies.
She pointed the telescope upwards, looking for nothing but beams of dust caught in magenta light. Twilight shadows ran across her face like streams of ink. She then lowered the telescope back into her lap, looking at Steppenwolf quaintly. He hadn’t said anything in several minutes.
“…It’s getting really late. Tilde will be coming shortly… To get away from that awful sister of hers for a while. Since she is the relative of a Female Fury, it wasn’t hard for me to authorize her entry into Ignis. Do you want to tell me something before she comes?”
“Harriet is dreadful to that girl.” Steppenwolf murmured in a surprisingly empathetic tone.
“…What’s wrong, Steppenwolf?” Stellar asked, politely folding her hands.
“I will show I’m worthy. For Apokolips.”
Stellar was used to Steppenwolf skirting around direct questions. She had come to intuitively pluck answers from his labyrinth of words. Stellar lifted a finger to her chin and looked directly at Steppenwolf.
“I think you will be fine leading the Legion to New Genesis. I know it must be dizzying to be put in this position before you’ve even gone through the final phase of training… But… Queen Heggra is your sister. And she is not kind. Steppenwolf, she didn’t give you this opportunity as a gift. She knows what you are capable of. I know what you are like…”
Stellar averted her gaze out a window to the right.
“But don’t let your anger consume you. Please.”
“Stellar, I w-“
A series of metallic beeps echoed throughout the room over Steppenwolf’s voice. Stellar jumped out of her chair, clutching the still broken telescope to her chest.
“That must be Tilde!” She chirped.
Stellar excitedly sprinted out of the room. Steppenwolf silently peered after her. Steppenwolf could audibly hear Stellar spin back around to come back. She poked her head through the doorway and asked a question.
“Would you like to stay for a bit longer?”
Steppenwolf vacillated for a few moments before answering in the negative.
“I can’t…”
But he could have.
∞
Blood pooled in oceans of cruelty across the floor; pieces of a fiendish jigsaw puzzle thrown by mocking blows. Suli stepped in one of the puddles with a squish but didn’t notice. She had found Chasma and by a stroke of luck, without running into anyone dangerous. Chasma had been stabbed several times in the stomach, likely by other Furies who were disgusted with her attitude. That was what Suli had determined from the message she received from the bleeding Fury. Chasma was chained to a pipe, with her arms painfully pulled upwards. Also likely the other Furies’ doing. She helplessly looked up at Suli, licking a glob of coagulated blood from the corner of her mouth.
“The… y… Really… Don’… t W… ant me…” She painfully rasped.
Suli fell to the floor in front of Chasma, shaking with anguish and outrage. She also felt nauseous but pushed it away. Suli knew the Female Furies were exceptionally fiendish, but to witness it firsthand was awful. She wasn’t used to this kind of ruthlessness. Suli knew she was right about Chasma not being fit for the life of a Female Fury. Her mind wasn’t finetuned to robotic violence despite her stocky, powerful body.
“I can fix you! There are things I can do… I haven’t told you. Chasma, I can fix you!” Suli desperately tried to reassure her marred friend.
But Suli hadn’t noticed another door in the room had opened.
“And who might you be?”
The voice was calm but carried a hawkish tone of command. Waves of frigid dread ran in showers down Suli’s body. Suli seemed to think she could get away with sneaking around restricted areas, but she had been caught every time. Suli wanted to cry as she turned and met a pair desolate eyes that would change the course of her life forever.
∞
Uxas had simply been intrigued which was fortunate for both Suli and Chasma. Uxas had been visiting the Happiness Home that day when he was told of Chasma’s failures as a Fury. He went down to the boiler room alone to witness a Fury in her death throes. He hadn’t expected to find a commoner in the muggy room attempting to help a defeated warrior. These were things that Uxas relayed to Suli in the following weeks. Suli had been afraid but became fearless for the sake of her friend. Suli brought forth the courage to tell Uxas who she was. And why she was trying to save a Fury designated for death. As her story flowed forth like a stream of gentle wind, Uxas became increasingly interested. This finally ended with him watching Suli heal Chasma with an elixir.
Uxas then decided he would help the peculiar Fury by relocating her to a position with his mother’s unit: the Queen’s Guard. But he told Suli that she would never see Chasma again in return for the safety them all. Despite her worry for Chasma in such a prestigious rank, Suli remained silent knowing it was better than the alternative. That’s when Uxas told Suli who he was. Enthralled with the dark-haired woman, Uxas asked to meet her again under the guise of secrecy. And they did, again and again. Suli eventually came to love Uxas over time, despite the dark ideas harvested in his thoughts. Suli, ever the optimist, could sense a ring of hope in Uxas. Whether that came only from his returned affection, she didn’t know. But she hadn’t thought too deeply about it. Or whether, she didn’t want to presently.
But the Queen had found out about their little romance, trying to eliminate Suli to keep tight control over Uxas. But Suli knew Uxas couldn’t be controlled. And she knew it wasn’t wise to keep secrets from him. Now under her alchemy table enshrouded in gloom, Suli pulled her knees to her chin. She whispered into the void, knowing what she had to do.
“I won’t lie to you, Uxas…”
To be continued…
