[Location: Fourth World, outside of Apokolips’ orbit]

She drew her breath in as the dream burst in a viscous bubble of liquid. Hands fluttered to her mouth in a dissipating expression of shock. After a few seconds, she let her arms flop back down. Ebon filled her vision but low rumbling signaled where she was. Stellar was still aboard the Abysm. Steppenwolf had laid everything out simply: Stellar would be exterminated by the enemy either directly or through carelessness if she did not listen to orders. It was a horrid thing to be told… Yet undeniably the truth.

Stellar had been shaken by Steppenwolf’s transitory lapse in emotional stoicism. It wasn’t like him… Or so she thought. She hadn’t known how to respond and sat there quietly while he spoke. In the end, he seemed to recall something he was meant to be doing. Steppenwolf’s significance on the warship was crucial after all. His exit once more left Stellar alone with her thoughts. Not long after, a warning ping indicating the craft’s takeoff had resounded throughout Stellar’s cabin. And to this, she decided to sleep.

But now she was pulled back into the flow of reality. Her fading dream was a minor inconvenience compared to the magnitude of the present.

“I wonder how long it will take them to call for me…”

She had no choice but to wait. Stellar glanced at her communicator, limply laying in the dark. Or…

“Might as well take another peek around this place.”

She could try and figure out exactly what the plan here was. Even if she was now terrified.

∞

The void expanded before them, its existence occasionally flickering with iridescent colors. It was like watching a crystal refract itself endlessly into the distance. The Fourth World’s realm of time and space was unlike anywhere else in the multiverse. Space here was not peppered with stars, comets, or any other astronomical phenomena. It was just Apokolips, New Genesis, and their star: Binaria.

Steppenwolf sat beside Goodness who was laser focused on the screens before her. While Steppenwolf was away, Goodness had made the call to power through the storm system after consulting with Drea. Steppenwolf didn’t know if Stellar understood that he was trying to help her. Her reaction had been a snapshot of utterly… nothing. It was strange. Normally Stellar was overly emotive and even sarcastic when it was uncalled for. And considering she had shown up in tears in the middle of the night over the aqua-haired girl… Was she that numb to the gravity of Apokolips’ situation?

“How disturbing…”

Steppenwolf was not pleased with how that was making him feel.

“…I want you to use the long-range comms to send a preliminary report back to the Crown when we get further away from Apokolips.”

That order was for Steppenwolf. Goodness peered towards him, expecting a prompt response. Steppenwolf cleared his throat and answered.

“Understood.”

Steppenwolf had done what he could. But while Stellar couldn’t become a dire distraction, he wasn’t going to allow her to escape his periphery.

∞

Stellar was certainly allowed to wander the Abysm if she did not enter any restricted areas. The low humming from her cabin also permeated the corridors in a tsunami of white noise. Every now and then, a mechanical groan would ripple through dense pipes above her. Stellar didn’t intend to break protocol but she desperately wanted to know what the fate of New Genesis would be. Finding out if the faraway world had planetary defenses was one thing. Discovering exactly what would happen to the New Genesites was another. And what would her use be to the military after? Nothing, of course. Lashina had been amused with Stellar for a few minutes. After the Fury had taken in a scrutinizing view of Stellar’s tiny frame, she had gotten bored. Stellar was nothing to Lashina but the little Apokoliptian Steppenwolf knew.

T̷̜̰͘̕u̶̫̻͛̒r̵̳̓̈n̵͉̈́̍͜ ̵͎̩̑b̴͈̪͑a̸̦̮͠c̴͖̼̊̊k̴͉͊̚.̶̯̓̎

Stellar came to a pause.

Y̶̠͘o̴͈͌u̴̮͐̕ ̷̘̿w̵̫̺̒̍ö̷͇́̾n̴̬̕’̴̘̃͠t̵͉͝ ̷̫̑m̷͕͛a̴̤̅ͅk̷̲͈̒é̶̲̓͜ ̶̹͒͊i̵̗̓t̵̛͚̔.̵̬͙̚

She looked towards a speaker on the wall, but the communication lights were dead. Stellar felt her insides grow hot and a single stream of drool ran from the corner of her mouth. Another nightmare? But she was awake. Nausea overtook her body. First time space travel seemed to be affecting her. It was her fault for not following directions; Lashina had made it clear that during liftoff she should remain upright. Stellar stumbled to the wall, smashing her head as she crumpled. A horrid vision dilated her senses in a moment of dismal transience.

That same city filtered into view, the one where she shrieked into the heavens and civilization was consumed by mass destruction… It was a dream. It had to be. This couldn’t be New Genesis. This world… She balanced herself midair. High above the scene, two hands gripped her arms. She couldn’t see who it was. A nuclear breeze tore through her like she wasn’t even there. Spades of fire bloomed in the distance, crackling with painful force.

“I did that… I… did that. What will they think of me now?”

The voice wasn’t hers.

The scene seemed to magnify in Stellar’s vision until all she could see was fire, fire, them, fire – nothing.

T̷͔̖͒͋ḫ̷̾e̸̹̰̔ ̸͔̺̌͝F̷̦̙͗o̷̥͌ù̴̫̌ŗ̴̛̓t̷͉̦̂h̸̬͠ ̴͈̅W̴̧̽͜ò̷̻̮ȓ̸̲̉l̵͚͗̓d̵̢̗̉̓ ̶̞̗͐Ḿ̶̯͍́a̷͚͐͜c̸̖̀͜h̷̻̤̿i̵͓̦͘n̵̦̍͊ȩ̶̚ ̵̳̘̌͂w̷̳͊̚ͅì̵̹̃l̶̪̀l̴̝̈ ̵̞͎̎k̴̼̀e̷̡̚e̴̼͝p̵̼̽̋ ̶͎͘c̴̳̤͘͝h̸͓̫̾͂u̷̙̓͘r̴̥̹͑̑ǹ̶̩̃i̴̪͙̎͠n̵̹̽g̷̦̿͐.̸͓̀̾

∞

Steppenwolf felt desolation stretch before him. Nothing was there.

∞

“Suli, you are always going to be safe with me.”

“I know…”

When Uxas said everything would be alright, Suli tried to believe him. She wasn’t worried for herself. She never was when it came to Uxas. But Suli feared for anyone who ignited the furor she knew stirred within her lover.

“You’ll enjoy it better here.”

Much to her relief, Suli had not been escorted to the Royal Palace. Recognizable landmarks told her that she was somewhere in Ignis. She sat with Uxas near an open window, subliminally fearing that someone would recognize her intrusion and shoot. Gargantuan hourglass shapes paraded across the skyline in a shimmering haze. The size of these megastructures caused intense atmospheric distortion around them. A mirage within a mirage. Suli knew these areas contained a plethora of government facilities. The shape was echoed in the room behind Suli with columns that towered above her. This was another home apparently owned by Uxas. He had previously mentioned its existence off-handedly when complaining about his mother.

Suli turned to Uxas who reclined in a chair, cradling the stem of a glass between his fingers. The two sentinels who had taken Suli on her journey from Abyssus to Ignis stood across the room. They appeared to be whispering amongst each other. But Uxas gave no indication that he noticed this. He gazed at Suli instead, who crossed her arms against static threatening to creep up her body. She had many questions for Uxas. Would he answer them?

Suli was about to find out.

To be continued…