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

Demilunes clawed skyward; saliva made of darkness seemed to reach for her. Even to elites, the Royal Palace was a menacing zone. Stellar gripped the hem of her dress with sweaty hands. She hadn’t found Tilde and no longer had time to search. Stellar peeked at luminescent lava streaming near decorative towers. She visited the Palace many times before, but it never ceased to set her on edge. That morning was particularly sickening due to her nightly misadventure. Ambient pain enveloped her in layers of mental sediment. Steppenwolf would be happy she had arrived on time, at least.

There had been two Furies at the main gateway who let Stellar in soundlessly after confirming her identification. After a swift check of her bag, Stellar was indeed prepared. She was ready to paint the Palace with science.

∞

Crimson dawn splashed forward in a directive for Apokoliptians to start the day. Steppenwolf sat on the front stairs of his home. Arms folded tightly, exuding control that he needed over himself. He would be leaving soon for Umbra. There was much to be done and to be honest? Steppenwolf felt more like an assistant to Granny Goodness presently. He needed more command over his portion of the invasion. Everyone across the planet had heard the ferocity of Steppenwolf’s words during the invasion rally. He needed to make them reality.

“I’ll make sure she knows who is in control… All of them.”

Steppenwolf had repeatedly told himself this over the past week. But the opportunity to display his competence was edging ever closer. Before the rally, he had argued with Goodness over the Legion until she finally relented to his will. She was exhausted. Steppenwolf now just had to make sure that Goodness didn’t take that control from him.

“I know what you are like…”

Stellar’s previous words rattled his innards in a cosmic vibration. Her warning.

“But don’t let your anger consume you. Please.”

No one would away take his control.

∞

Archways branched above Stellar, framing her journey into the Palace with bleak arms of authority. It seemed like every sound from her body – short breaths, clicking boots – was amplified and then muffled down the immense corridor. Stellar came to a stop. She hadn’t seen anyone else yet. Usually there were Female Furies, attendants, and all other manners of personnel roaming about. A nervous fit suddenly strangled Stellar’s heart with virulent tendrils. The importance of this occasion was messing with her head. Steppenwolf’s forced indifference… And sweet Tilde.

Stellar rubbed the sash of her bag. She often would run her hands across soft objects whenever anxiety threatened to consume her. Once Stellar reached the grand hypostyle hall, she would be seconds away from royalty.

“Ah, you have arrived.”

Stellar turned around, meeting the calm expression of a much taller Apokoliptian woman. Her verdant eyes crinkled in the corners, giving a smile that the rest of her face would never allow.

“Hi, Wunda.”

Stellar, however, responded with an actual smile that showed all her pointed teeth. Wunda was a Female Fury enlisted among the Queen’s Guard longer than Stellar had been employed herself. Steppenwolf had mentioned her presence to Stellar awhile ago. And that was because Steppenwolf always felt Wunda’s curious gaze on him whenever his reports were conducted. Stellar had decided to speak to the elder Apokoliptian herself, finding a warrior with numerous untold stories. Wunda responded in kind, forming a protective bond with the little astronomer.

But now was not the place for tales of a distant history. Wunda walked to Stellar’s side, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Wunda began to guide them both forward. She must have been standing there for a while, sensing the panic rising in Stellar’s chest.

“You will be fine, Stellar. It’s the New Genesites who should fear our King and Queen. Heh. Not an obedient assistant like you.”

Wunda’s voice lowered in scorn when she spoke of New Genesites. Stellar bit the inside of her cheek. She wondered what Wunda would think if she knew about Tilde. Wunda had shown nothing but gentle affection for Stellar. But she was still a Female Fury; loyal to the Crown and always ready to kill. Would she make an exception for a friend breaking Apokoliptian law? Stellar’s vision momentarily blurred. Torches among the columned hall became distant globs. They turned a corner and the symbol of Apokoliptian life devoured her vision. Beyond the enameled omega, Stellar could hear Queen Heggra’s piercing voice. She sounded irritated. Wunda motioned to a sentry posted on the side.

“Let us in, Z.”

Gears rotated laboriously, cracking the doors open with a chemical split. Stellar suddenly felt so heavy she would fall through Apokolips. The Queen stood before Yuga Khan, pointing a clawed finger in Abyssus’ direction. Yuga Khan gripped the edge of his throne and leaned forward. The King’s horned helmet cast a shadow across the room that twisted and shuddered; spirals in hyperspace.

“Listen, you frightful woman. I already told yo-“

Queen Heggra took a step forward, loudly tapping the ground with her ornamented scepter. The glimmering crescent atop twinkled faintly with a golden aurora. However, Wunda interrupted before the royals could continue bickering.

“My King. My Queen. The scientist you summoned has arrived. She is ready to give the presentation on how her past work will be utilized to crack New Genesis’ atmospheric defenses. May she proceed?”

Queen Heggra’s tension collapsed and she seated herself next to the King with a huff. The central powers of Apokolips looked down at Stellar through undulating fields of light. Technicians of destruction. Simultaneously, they both spoke.

“Proceed.”

∞

Steppenwolf reached Umbra with his belongings in record time. When passing through the Palace to gain access, he hadn’t seen Stellar. She was meant to be displaying her aptitude before Apokolips’ rulers while he went through an edge building. Steppenwolf now idled on a scaffold surrounding the Abysm. Humming from a thousand different machines permeated his mind. Hissing, horrible shrieks. Damp air came to rest on every surface, dew glistening in pallid orbs. Clear nighttime had given away to a thick afternoon of industrial fog. Steppenwolf waved a hand through amber mist, peering towards a contorted structure. The monarchy’s residence watched over Apokolips incessantly. No matter how distant it seemed.

“She better be in there.”

Steppenwolf disappeared into the Abysm.

To be continued…