[Location: Apokolips, Ignis]

Suli stood to her feet in a rush and backed up against the wall. She pursed her lips in a perfect heart shape, her jawline quivering. The lights of Ignis beyond the floor to ceiling windows twinkled on, everyone else unaware that history's fabric was being carefully woven. Uxas stood with hands linked behind his back, smirking at the granite archways facing the room's exit. Seconds clicked by in sync with Suli's galloping heartbeats. And then a woman unceremoniously entered with stormy eyes and snarling lips drawn back against razor fangs. Dark strands of oily hair fluttered around her as though alive, clinging in wisps to her skin. Rainbow prisms would briefly glimmer to the surface of her locks only to be swallowed completely once more by shadows.

"Come here, Suli. I'd like to introduce you to Marraxa."

Marraxa regarded Suli with a leaden gaze that belied no empathy for the other woman's fear. Suli found it difficult to move and gazed at her feet, not wanting to look at her company. Marraxa strode over and mockingly bent forward with a gush of hair that spiraled around her face. The wet surface of her eyes didn't reflect light but rather crushed it into shattered, dull fragments; nothing resembling order fit this woman's aura. Suli wished for her tiny bed with it's overgrown comforter spilling to the floor, picking up dust no matter how she tried to arrange it. A place to hide from the situation she now found herself in. Every time she blinked her life seemed to be going down some other strange corridor.

"So, this is the pawn I'm meant to protect?" Marraxa quipped.

Uxas' reply came in whispers of unmovable steel.

"My dearest Suli is not a pawn. I have never referred to her as such. You know this and if you say anything else to purposely cast doubt upon her heart then you will immediately be terminated from this assignment. Marraxa, you know better. Control your ego because that strength of yours can be found anywhere. Do I make myself clear?"

Suli thought she saw what appeared to be defiant sarcasm about to escape Marraxa's lips and then the enigmatic lady thought better of it, standing up straight to face Uxas.

"Yes, sir. It won't happen again."

"Good."

"U-Uxas... What's happening? What is this?" Suli stammered.

"That creature that birthed me will converge on this area with her personal Furies. Marraxa here will kill them all. Then Heggra will receive instructions on what all of Apokolips is to hear about the disappearance of the so-called great Yuga Khan."

"Can I ask... What you did to the King? Or will do?"

A pause.

"Suli, my dear. I am going to request that you stop asking questions now."

Suli bit down on her lip in a desperate attempt to contain her emotions. The muscles in her chest and throat pressed against a humid core of tears awaiting release; for a thought had just occurred to her.

Chasma was now with the Queen.

Suli wanted to scream.

∞

"You know we can't stay here."

Steppenwolf reached a hand towards Stellar's despair stricken face and flicked away some of the biological waterfall she couldn't seem to settle. Stellar covered her face with a filthy sleeve and began to wail. A thin strand of saliva escaped from a corner of her mouth. She had always done her duty behind a screen, far away from any planets Apokolips meant to conquer. Placing an obviously naive scientist onboard a warship was an act of cruelty befitting of the Crown and likely solely devised to crush any thoughts of sympathy Stellar harbored for the enemy. That and while Stellar had talent, she was replaceable.

A twinge of guilt crackled inside Steppenwolf for he himself had told Stellar not that long ago she wasn't special to the government. Just a mote of dust in the darkest galactic cloud. Granted, Stellar had believed herself to be more important to Apokolips' mission than she was in actuality. But it still hurt nonetheless. Telling Stellar she mattered to him and he didn't want her to perish was a better memory. Steppenwolf swept Stellar into his arms, finding no resistance as if they were gliding through the purest air. She put her arms tightly around him while continuing to cry as if she was trying to fuse them together with her hot tears. Steppenwolf placed a hand on Stellar's head and then launched into trying to formulate an escape route out of Ignis. Considering anyone trying to sneak in was shot dead on sight... Then two people who were likely wanted by now trying to sneak out...

A series of low rhythmic taps came from downstairs. Steppenwolf lowered his breathing to try and make out the sound better over Stellar's sobs. Yes. Someone or something was most definitely trying to get his attention. But who? Steppenwolf got along well enough with the likes of inquisitive Wunda, purveyor of staring holes through the back of his head. But he didn't think she'd risk her life showing up in a situation like this, not even for Stellar who she had genuinely gotten to know. The tapping ceased and with that, Steppenwolf realized Stellar had also gone mute. She had slightly pulled away from him, looking towards the door with her ruby eyes wide. Steppenwolf was about to speak when the tapping started up once more. Stellar tore away from Steppenwolf and made a mad dash for the stairs.

"S-Stellar! Wait!" Steppenwolf called after her in the lowest register he could muster while still being audible enough.

Steppenwolf cautiously sprinted after her, briefly paused at the staircase like he was expecting to be ambushed, then ran down. He found Stellar crouched with narrowed eyes and a hand reaching towards the back door. Steppenwolf made an X with his arms but Stellar's eyes grew even wider and she hissed out an almost guttural TCH-PSH-TCH-PSH utterance. She looked incredibly bizarre squatting on the floor with a drying face and bared fangs with her tongue slightly peeking through. Her eyes moved towards the door but her face did not. With a shaking hand she cracked open the door delicately.

At first nothing happened. Then both Steppenwolf and Stellar heard a woman's voice whisper move. Two women swiftly rolled inside, curled up into tight, little balls. Stellar shut the door behind them and then crawled over to see their faces as they began to unfold themselves. A burst of brilliant hair cascaded out from the first woman, bearing all the colors of Apokolips' fire pits. She had the same glittering eyes of Stellar but a far more angular facial structure. The second woman shook off her azure hair, seemingly annoyed by it's messiness.

"I knew I shoulda braided it for this! Oh. Hey..." She commented then trailed off upon seeing Steppenwolf stunned into silence.

Her eyes were completely blackened save for her pupils which shone like pinpricks of light, a somewhat common genetic variation in Apokoliptians living belowground. Steppenwolf felt he had definitely seen her before but the severity of the situation overrode everything else presently.

"AUNTY! I knew you'd come for us!"

Steppenwolf bit his tongue, not wanting to embarrass Stellar by mentioning her tearful fit.

"We have a plan in place for emergencies of any kind so that's how I knew it was her, Steppe!" Stellar chirped.

Stellar embraced the woman with fiery hair, squishing her cheek against her aunt's. Steppenwolf knew that Stellar's parents had passed long ago before there was ever a chance to even remember them and she had been raised by her aunt instead. However, he had never met said aunt until this moment. Stellar's aunt laughed a little and gestured towards Steppenwolf with her chin.

"So, this is Steppenwolf? Hm."

She wagged her eyebrows. Stellar's mouth dropped open and a blush creeped across the planes of her once crying face.

"What the-!? Why are you saying it like that!? Aunty, come on! This is a really serious- Why are you laughing!?"

"Good. I was checking to make sure you hadn't fully lost your mind from terror. Let's get down to business, sweety."

The woman got up, helping Stellar to her feet as well. She nodded towards her companion.

"Nice to meet you Steppenwolf. If it wasn't obvious, I am Stellar's aunt. My name is Razz. And my friend over here is Una. We're here to help you."

To be continued...