APOKOLIPS- home of the mighty Darkseid
no longer! ORION THE FIERCE slayed his father in a deadly final
battle and began the process of taming the shadow world some four
months ago! But many tasks remain before Apokolips is restored
to the same glory it enjoyed as part of the original Godworld!
Some are mundane, some are wondrous! Engaged in one of the more
mundane tasks is SCOTT FREE of the...
Scott Free, garbed in his
Mister Miracle outfit, floated above his people and the streets
of Grayborders on the aero-discs he received so long ago, when
he unwillingly attended Granny Goodness's Happiness Home. Today,
he occupied the same position of authority as his "beloved"
Granny once did, but approached his responsibilities with a decidedly
softer hand.
"Easy, people...easy".
He spoke in a voice that was gentle and kind, yet one that was
clear and demanded respect. The men and women he commanded this
day were a mixture of the young of New Genesis and Apokolips.
Some were the brave who accompanied Orion on the faithful day
the prophecy was fulfilled, some requested transfer to Apokolips
after, some were former soldiers of Darkseid who merely decided
to follow the new ruler of Apokolips regardless of his identity,
some were Scott's students at the Apokolips Defence Force Academy,
and some were native volunteers, aiding in the restoration of
Apokolips out of personal pride and civic duty. All were dedicated
to a single goal at the moment: the dismantling of a statue of
Darkseid. All struggled, pulling on the incredibly strong ropes
that were wound tightly around the stony icon of evil. About a
foot off the ground, a huge white aero-platform hovered and hummed
softly, separating the mass that was taking the statue down into
two halves.
Cadet Styggan stood at
Scott's side. Though he did not wear a helmet, he was otherwise
clad in the red armour of a New Genesis Monitor, which was now
the standard military uniform on Apokolips. Styggan had been a
student at Granny's Orphanage, and while there, he had developed
flight as his power. He was, and always had been, kindly and honest,
yet troubled and self-doubting due to his nature, which ran contrary
to everything Darkseid's system celebrated and the values he was
raised with. The son of Izaya saw more than a little of his own
past in the Cadet, and took the youngster under his wing. "Sir,
I don't understand why we're using these archaic methods to get
rid of this statue. Surely we can simply blast it or send it floating
into space?"
Scott turned his head towards
his protege. "We can, but think of the consequences. If we
were to explode it, our streets would be hammered by rubble. If
we were to vaporize every statue of Darkseid, we would unleash
massive quantities of ash and soot into the
atmosphere. Now I know
that Apokolips his far from being a model of environmental perfection,
but we must make strides towards making it so." The escape
artist raised his arms to the skies, indicating the vastness of
the cosmos. "Sending it into space would work...were we alone
in this universe. There are already a multitude of hazards
in space, and the last
thing explorers and researchers need is another asteroid to dodge."
Styggan felt shamed by
his mentor's words. "I...I'm sorry sir...I didn't mean..."
the Apokoliptian stammered.
"It's OK. I know how
things were." Scott clasped a reassuring hand on Styggan's
shoulder. "You were taught to think of Darkseid's well-being
only, and that Apokolips was the only planet that mattered. The
old lessons are hard to forget, but you can. I did. my wife did.
Orion did. You just have to remember to consider how your actions
will effect others." The statue of Darkseid thumped down
onto the aero-platform. "Good job! Take a break, people!
You've earned it by working double-time!" Scott smiled as
the weary, yet proud, volunteers and soldiers cheered and congratulated
each other, then turned his head to face Styggan. "Now the
statue can be resculpted into a thing of beauty, or perhaps even
shelter."
"A thing of worth
arising from the ashes of Darkseid's regime. I never, ever thought
I'd see such glories.", Styggan mused.
"Hopefully, there
are many more to yet to be. Come on, Styggan." Scott alighted
to meet his students and contemporaries, and the cadet followed.
Various greetings rung out at Scott and Styggan.
"Thanks folks..."
Scott said. "If we keep up this effort, we'll have Apokolips
cleaned up in no time. You've got a half-hour off. Then we're
moving on. Orion's got a lot lined up for us today, and I can't
guarantee another break. So make the most of this one. Meet up
at the Academy briefing room thirty minutes from now."
The volunteers and soldiers
broke into smaller groups, chattering amongst themselves. One
broke out of the crowds and ran towards Styggan, pulling her helmet
off as she ran. She was a lovely young girl with brown, short
hair and green eyes, also wearing a Monitor's uniform. "Styggan!"
she cried.
"Jena!" the youthful
cadet picked her up in the air and embraced her. "Oh, it's
good to see you! How're you doing?".
"I see we have company."
Scott noted, amused.
"Yes...I need to bring
him back down here after he's spent all day floating in the clouds
with you." Jena jumped from Styggan's arms and playfully
poked Scott in the ribs.
"As well you should,
Jena. As well you should." Scott smirked at her.
Styggan stared at Jena.
He admired her and carefree ways. He had often thought that if
all the people of New Genesis were like Jena, it must be a truly
beautiful place indeed...
Scott let out a light chuckle.
"I'll leave you two alone. Besides...there's something else
I need to do."
"Are you sure you
don't need any help, sir?" Styggan offered.
"You two are on break.
You know how rare moments like this are. Enjoy them. Savour them.
I'll be just fine. Besides, I'm sure you can all take care of
yourselves here. I'll see you both in about twenty-eight minutes
at the Academy." Scott strode off to talk to a senior New
Genesis officer he'd known ever since he returned to Apokolips,
and left him with orders to keep a watch over the volunteers and
make sure that they assemble later. Then, he strapped on his aero-discs
and took off for a task known only to himself and Orion's most
trusted allies.
Meanwhile, across the heavens...
A massive starship, forest
green in hue and triangular in shape, swam amongst the starry
seas. Within the ship, various mechanoids of all shapes, sizes,
and descriptions buzzed in activity. One was standing in the center
of a large oval room, totally alone. It's body was roughly humanoid
in shape, although extremely thin and lacking visible appendages.
A small army of wires rose out of the mechanoid's smooth, perfectly
circular head, many miles into the air, stopping when they reached
the ceiling. A vivid array of colours
shone from the mechanoid
and its' headwires, indicating information being relayed and processed
from all sectors of the starship.
One piece of information
was being uploaded to a storage bay via the mechanoid's headwires.
"Upload scouts to probe shells." Instantaneously, two
hundred golden bullet-shaped probes, each ten feet in width and
diameter, whirred to life in another sector of the ship. "Launch
scouts." The "bullets" were thrust out into the
void noiselessly in every
direction, each using every tool at their disposal to scan the
area around and beyond the ship. Most found nothing unusual. One
did.
"Detected: inert stellar
computer core. Directions requested."
Back on the ship, the mechanoid's
headwires glowed purple and green and red and blue. After a split-second,
it communicated instructions back to the robotic scout. "Directions:
retrieve inert stellar computer core. Conduct preliminary research
into the nature of the inert stellar computer core, then return
to ship and bring inert stellar computer core to research section
immediately."
"Directions processed
successfully. Now executing retrieval of inert stellar computer
core." The tip of the "bullet" flowered open, revealing
a hollow compartment. So advanced were the mechanoids that most
of the probe's vital systems were microscopic nanomachines, leaving
plenty of empty interior space for retrieval of humanoids and
small objects. The probe launched a tractor beam from its' hollow
interior and dragged in the tiny spherical stellar computer core.
Once the circular object was safely secured, the probe spun back
shut and plunged a collection of cables deep into the core.
"Commencing preliminary
research..."
As if in response to the
probe's investigation, the core snapped to life with a yellow
flash of light.
"Hail, most grand
and glorious Orion!" Dr. Virman Vundabar clicked his heels
together and gave Orion a stiff-armed military salute as he entered
the former throne room of Darkseid. "Slayer of Darkseid!
Liberator of Apokolips! The source of all the glories upon this
world! The one for whom I would gladly lay down my life a thousand
times over! My...gack!"
Orion held his hand tightly
around Vundabar's throat. "For the last time...I don't like
it
when you stand on ceremony.
A simple 'Orion, here is my report' will do. And remember...every
day I let you live is another day you should pray to the sick
power of
Darkseid, or whatever force
is looking out for your pathetic, miserable, wretched, continued
existence."
"Yes, yes, gra...I
mean...'Orion, here is my report.'" Vundabar wheezed.
Orion, satisfied that he
had made his point, dropped Vundabar to the ground and returned
to his featureless red metal chair, which Orion had replaced Darkseid's
ornate throne with. Orion had forsaken his helmet and battle clothing
for simple crimson robes in an effort to distance himself from
his warrior past, just as Izaya did when dropped his war armour
and became the peaceful Highfather, but there were times like
this when Orion's bleaker nature shone through. "Very well.
Let's have it."
"The volunteers under
the command of Scott Free have removed five statues of Darkseid
from Grayborders today; Big Barda and the Female Furies arrested
some twenty resistance members attempting to vandalize the newly-created
Resurrection Park; and construction on the habitats has continued
according to schedule."
Orion merely nodded and
said "Dismissed".
Were he braver, or more
powerful, Vundabar may have asked Orion to thank him for delivering
the report. Instead, he seized the opportunity to leave Darkseid's
son as quickly as he possibly could. Vundabar went careening out
into the hallway beyond Orion's sanctum, grateful that Orion did
not permanently injure him.
Lightray entered the sanctum,
laughing. "I think the Doctor reached speeds unmatched by
even me out in the hall!" Orion's most trusted ally approached
the seat where his good friend was sitting and waved his hand
in the air as a greeting. "How goes it, Orion?"
"Why do we keep him
alive?" Orion muttered.
"Vundabar?"
"Yes."
Lightray rubbed his chin.
"As reluctant as I am to admit it, he has aided us in our
efforts to turn Apokolips into a peaceful democracy. He's given
us insight into Apokoliptian technology that it would've taken
us months to understand, and he's been instrumental in swaying
some of those loyal to Darkseid's legacy to our cause."
"Still, he is an irritating
worm. And despite the fact that he's the weakest and only surviving
member of Darkseid's elite, he is still a formidable foe."
Lightray nodded. "However,
you've taken every precaution with him. The quarters you gave
him has nothing but a bed, and he has no political power or military
authority. He's not even allowed outside of the palace without
your express consent."
"I'll let him live
as long as he proves useful. Then, he will join my brother and
father and their brethren in death."
The comment chilled Lightray.
The words sounded like something Darkseid might've said. He'd
heard Orion make such statements before, but only in the heat
of battle, and never so dispassionately, so cold, so matter-of-fact.
Lightray had hoped that Orion's complete focus on bringing peace
and justice to Apokolips would bring him closer to those principles,
and for the most part, it had. Still, there were moments, such
as these, when Lightray wondered just how much Darkseid's spectre
still haunted his son.
"There is some deeper
concern you have Orion, is there not?" Lightray asked. "Surely
a minor irritant like Vundabar cannot frustrate you this greatly."
Orion sighed. "It
is my mother, Tigra. I worry for her daily, and wonder where Metron
has taken her."
Memories of the final battle
seeped into Lightray's mind. He remembered how, on that faithful
day, he and Orion broke into Section Zero to rescue his mother,
Tigra. Orion had just slain Darkseid and was about to attain his
second most heartfelt goal, releasing Tigra from her exile. Despite
the falsehoods she had perpetuated against Orion, the warrior
still felt great love towards Tigra, and recalled fondly how she
was the only one on Apokolips to cherish him and oppose Darkseid's
treatment of him. Orion and Lightray were just about to free her,
when suddenly, Metron appeared before them, perched on his Mobius
Chair.
"This is not her place,
nor her time." The academic solemnly told them, fixing his
gaze on Tigra. She was hooded, bound in chains, and in a small
but well-furnished cell with an extremely small window on the
door.
"Out of my way, icy
mask!" Orion shouted. "I do not wish to see my mother
imprisoned any longer."
"She will not remain
imprisoned. However, her part in the cosmic drama shall not be
played here." With that, Metron vanished into the cell. Orion
jumped at the door, pounding at it fiercely and screaming at Metron.
Lightray squinted and looked into the window, seeing Metron forcefully
grab Tigra and vanish away. When Orion finally knocked the door
down, it was empty. Neither Tigra nor Metron had been seen since.
"Metron is many things,
but he is not a murderer." Lightray attempted to reassure
Orion. "I don't believe he would allow Tigra to come to harm."
"I think he's the
only celestial I trust less than Vundabar." Orion growled.
"We've been making
some remarkable progress here. Once Apokolips is totally secure,
we will have more than enough time to hunt for Tigra."
"But by that time,
she may have already perished!" Orion pounded one of the
armrests on his chair. He slowly raised his fist up again and
stared at it. "I grow weary of this responsibility. The field
of battle is my place. I should be out there in the stars, tracking
that cold demon. I should be the one in Armagetto, wiping out
the remnants of Darkseid's damnable legions."
Lightray drew closer to
Orion. "Highfather's most desperate wish was to see everlasting
peace between Apokolips and New Genesis. Yes, there's work to
be done. But others can do it, like Scott and Barda. Your place
is here, as the ruler of Apokolips. You're the strongest and the
bravest of us, the one most worthy. Also, it was you who killed
your father, so you are the one who must prove why he was worth
killing. I think you've done a good job thus far, proving why
freedom and mercy and the other virtues of New Genesis are preferable
to the horrors of Darkseid's regime."
Orion shook his head. "It
was Vundabar who convinced the Apokoliptians to follow me."
"He got them to listen,
true. But it was your words that swayed them to our cause. It
was your strength that convinced them that Apokolips can stand
strong and yet be a peaceful, beautiful world. Orion, we are on
a world that was totally dedicated to Darkseid for hundreds of
years. A world created in his image, where people thought statues
of him were sacred. Now what are those same people doing? Tearing
down those statues. On a voluntary basis. Because they want to.
The fact that we've got even some percentage of the population
to think for themselves and embrace the ways of New Genesis in
only four months is quite impressive. And it was you and your
leadership that made this all so. You underrate yourself, my friend.
You are the most formidable warrior the cosmos has ever seen,
but you are an equally formidable statesman."
Orion glared at Lightray
for a moment, then his face softened slightly. "You always
were wiser than I, Lightray."
Lightray's virtually ever-present
grin returned to his face. "You flatter me, sir."
Armagetto.
Scott was under strict
instruction from Orion not to reveal what was going on here. Should
Orion's plans backfire, there would certainly be mass revolts.
The new ruler of Apokolips did not want to let the public at large
to know that he was working tirelessly to find an alternative
to the fire pits which fed restlessly on the planet until he was
absolutely certain that he could make another means to give Apokolips
energy work, rather than make grand promises he could not keep
no matter how hard he tried. The other reason why Scott Free went
to Armagetto alone was because it was, undoubtedly, still the
most lethal place on the planet. So lethal that Orion had ordered
all residents who supported him leave the area immediately for
their own safety, leaving Armagetto a virtual ghost town. Only
the most brave and capable treaded here. The wilder rumours Scott
had heard about Armagetto- that there was a secret cache of animates
just waiting to rise at Dr. Bedlam's command or that Darkseid
had left behind a Mageddon-style weapon that would activate a
year after his death- had no truth at all to them, but there were
still plenty of ex-Parademons and others loyal to Darkseid there.
Indeed, if the resistance against Orion's rule could be said to
have an official headquarters, it would be Armagetto. It was not
the place for young students, Orion did not fully trust the native
Apokoliptian soldiers fully yet, and New Genesis soldiers were
needed to safeguard the areas Orion had already taken, so it was
up to extraordinary lone agents like Free to enact Orion's plan.
Scott pulled a small mechanical
cube from his belt and tossed it into the cracked window of a
gray slum tenement. Quickly, he ducked out of the way and watched
as a large squarish energy battery, comprised of deep blue tubes
and gears, grew out from the cube, destroying the eyesore. The
quick growth of the structure was caused by a mechanical method
that emulated the Deep Six's mutational abilities. Instead of
making sea creatures into deadly humanoid killers, this mutation
took kinetic energy and used it to make tiny versions of large
machines grow to their proper scale. Scott pressed a button on
his belt and unleashed a Cosmi-current barrier, which protected
the battery from attacks and would stand until Orion or somebody
else with proper authority shut it down.
Scott felt a peculiar soft
vibration on his right arm, just underneath the shoulder. The
vibration was accompanied by a pinging noise. He raised his left
hand to his shoulder and whispered "What's wrong, Mother
Box?"
A moment later, Scott had
his answer.
He saw harsh, brutish looking
men in yellow and green armour carrying orange boxes flying above
him. They were Parademons, and what they carried were Radion Guns,
capable of stunning Orion himself. There looked to be about ten,
by Scott's quick estimation. Wordlessly, they readied their Radion
Guns and took aim at Scott.
Scott stood still, poised,
confident, and staring up at the Parademons. Some of the Parademons
laughed, thinking that Scott was giving up. They couldn't be more
wrong.
"Death to the invaders!"
One of the Parademons shouted. His fellows echoed the battle cry
and fired their weapons. Ten Radion bolts rained down on Scott
Free. All of the shots were dead on, traveling with deadly speed.
Still, Scott stood, calm, cool, and collected. The bolts slammed
into the spot where Scott was standing, certainly sealing his
doom.
Smoke and flame rose from
the Radion blasts. The Parademons landed, eager to inspect their
handiwork. The expected to find the charred corpse of Scott Free.
What they saw was a green cape being beaten against the flames,
extinguishing them.
"What?!" The
Parademon in charge stared, stunned.
A moment later, the flames
were vanquished. Scott Free stood triumphant. "I've been
in tighter spots than that before. But, a good escape artist never
reveals their secrets. So I'm afraid I can't tell you just how
I came out of that unscathed." Scott smirked, not letting
on that Mother Box projected the exact trajectory of the Radion
blasts, letting him simply roll away at the last minute, his escape
hidden by the smoke and flames. "But it was fun. Maybe we
can make it into a regular routine?".
The Parademons growled.
"There's no way you can defeat all of us."
Scott didn't want to agree
with the Parademon, but things did look grim. He couldn't just
jump all around Armagetto, least he leave the entire area a blast-ridden
mess. And while he was sure that he could defeat most of the Parademons-
perhaps even half of them- in combat, ten-to-one odds were a little
steep. Scott grit his teeth and prepared to fight what might be
his last battle.
"Perhaps not, but
there's no way you can defeat all of us." The Parademons turned
to see the one who had spoken the words. It was Big Barda, and
with her, Lashina and Mad Harriet.
As it flashed back to life,
the computer core sent crackling orange sparks up the tentacle-like
research cables of the probe. Within moments, the core dominated
the probe, placing it under its' control. The exterior of the
probe glowed bright yellow, transmitting a virus towards the other
one-hundred and ninety-nine probes and vast green starship, subjugating
the mechanoids rapidly. The starship launched a tractor beam towards
the probes, recalling all of them. The "bullets" glided
back into narrow launch tubes, and then back into the large storage
bays.
A mechanoid- silver with
massive arms, two oversized red glowing eyes, and moving on black
treads- made its' way towards the scout that had captured the
core. The probe opened and the mechanoid plunged its' arms into
the probe, pulling the core out. The mechanoid zoomed down the
hallways of the ship until it reached the cavernous oval room
of the mechanoid coordinator. The silver mechanoid held the core
up to its' leader, and the core began dumping information into
the coordinator's memory.
"Memory log update.
Time/space location: unknown. Last known memory: dueling Starman
above planet Earth. Severe damage inflicted by Starman in the
battle. Auto-shutdown commenced. Auto-random space/time teleportation
effect engaged following auto-shutdown. Self-repair functions
enacted and employed for undetermined amount of time." The
core continued. "Now uploading new directives: One- full
restoration of outer shell. Two- destruction of all life."
The coordinator processed the core's orders, and sent them throughout
the ship. In minutes, a large number of the ship's crew had gathered
in the control room, bearing a wide assortment of metals. Working
tirelessly, they constructed a massive spherical containment shell
for the core. In the hands of humanoids, even super-powered humanoids,
the task of building a shell for the core would take days. For
the mechanoids, it took six hours.
"Command: You shall
go forward and find the nearest inhabited world. Then, I will
burn it into nothingness."
"Commencing Hyperspace
travel," the coordinator simultaneously ordered his people
and transmitted the execution of the command to the core.
"Felling better, Orion?"
Lightray cheerfully asked.
"For the moment."
Orion replied quietly.
"Good. Because I didn't
just stop by to pay you a friendly visit. I'm here on official
business, you know." Lightray's tone was one of mock seriousness.
"Speak plainly, Lightray."
"Well...Takion"
Lightray was careful not to refer to Takion as "Highfather"
in Orion's presence. He knew that to Orion, the only true Highfather
was and always would be Izaya. "...Takion wanted you to meet
with the newly-appointed New Genesis Ambassdor to Apokolips today."
"Where am I to meet
this...person?"
"We could go to the
embassy if you really want, but I thought that since we're both
here right now..."
Orion's eyes narrowed.
"Am I to understand you are New Genesis's Ambassador?"
Lightray nodded, almost
on the verge of laughter. "And you told me I would be nothing
but a useless, merry fool for the rest of eternity when we were
young."
Orion cocked an eyebrow,
which was the closest action to smiling he had. "Congratulations,
you useless, merry fool."
"Thank you, snarling
beast from the pits." Lightray returned the childhood insult
with great levity.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
Mad Harriet shrieked wildly. "Hello boys! Miss me?"
Due to the distraction caused by the Female Furies' timely arrival,
ten Parademons had their backs turned to Scott Free. Scott seized
his moment to strike, kicking one in the back of his head. Mad
Harriet hurled herself at two of the others like a yellow comet,
catching them square in their chests with the power spikes wrapped
around her wrists. Both fell with an unceremonious thud. Lashina
shot one of her fatal whips at another of the once-mighty legions
of Darkseid, incapacitating him. Big Barda fired two blasts from
her Mega-Rod in rapid succession, wounding another duo of Parademons.
By the end of the opening salvo, the sides were evened out. The
remaining four Parademons stood together in a tight circular formation.
Lashina, Scott, Barda, and Mad Harriet closed in on their enemies.
"Stay back!"
The lead Parademon shouted.
Barda glanced at Lashina.
"Care to do the honours?"
Through the straps on her
mask, Lashina flashed a wicked grin. "Why Barda, I thought
you'd never ask." Lashina raised her arm up, and threw a
whip at the Parademons. The whip spun through the air and, when
it made contact with the Parademons, expanded out into a large
net. Lashina turned and looked at Scott. "You know, these
capture lashes come in handy. Thanks for whipping them up for
me."
Under his mask, Scott blushed
slightly. "Oh, it was nothing, really."
Barda coughed, interrupting
them. "So, husband, how are you doing?"
"Not bad." Scott
brushed some dust and dirt from his costume. "Thanks for
crashing the party."
Barda wrapped her armoured
arms around Scott's shoulders. "I told
you it was a good idea to link our Mother Boxes in case of danger.
Now will you listen to me?"
Mad Harriet couldn't contain
her laughter. "When I see things like this, it almost makes
me glad the boys don't chase me!"
"Quiet, Harriet!"
Barda barked at her. "I..." Barda paused.
The sky suddenly grew darker.
A triangular shaped object eclipsed many of the stars that radiated
what little heat and light that reached Apokolips.
"What is that thing?"
Lashina said as she stared upward.
"I have no idea. It
doesn't look like a natural phenomena..." Barda replied.
Slowly, from out of the
triangle rose a spiked ball. In the sky, it looked even bigger
than the green object New Genesis appeared as. As the ball slowly
rotated towards that green object, it ignited, becoming a star.
Heat and light cut down through the smog of Apokolips fiercely.
Instead of a grey, cold place, Armagetto suddenly felt and looked
like a hot summer day on Scott and Barda's adopted home of Earth.
The new star stopped its' rotation, and launched a massive streak
of flame at New Genesis.
Mad Harriet and Lashina
gasped. Scott shouted "NO!" Barda whispered, in deep
terror, "Solaris..."
