Slow Burn II, by Adam Heath Avitable
This is a sequel to Slow Burn (duh!) and it is recommended you read it before you try to figure out what is going on here.
***************** The large, red-haired figure stood silently at the window, clasping his hands behind his back. When he spoke, his voice was harsh and grating. "Desaad, why have you called me back from my negotiations on New Genesis?"
Desaad, an ugly little man who always hid his face in a large-cowled robe, scurried over. "Master Orion, although Apokolips has flourished in your absence, we needed your power to reach our goal. Your Astro-force is necessary to provide the proper . . . motivation."
"And what, pray tell, is our goal?"
"Ever since your father, the mighty Darkseid, discovered that the final portion of the anti-life equation resided within the mind of one of Earth's humans, he has prepared for its harvesting. His disappearance five years ago has not stopped our machinations." Desaad's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Why would I, ruler of Apokolips, care about the free will of the universe?"
"Because, Master Orion, the full anti-life equation will, as you say, give you full reign and control over the free will of every soul in the universe. Only then will you have the order that you so desperately seek."
"Infidel!" Orion roared, sending Desaad to the ground with a vicious backhand. His eyes glowed. "I am a GOD, you unworthy rodent, and you will do well to remember that desperation is for the weak."
"Yes, Master Orion," Desaad huddled on the ground.
"Very well, I shall provide my Astro-force where you need it. Go and prepare the project."
**************** "Did everything go according to plan?" queried a large, imposing woman. With a huge mane of white hair and a scarred, twisted face, Granny Goodness was exactly the type of monster who would give children nightmares. And that she did, in her orphanage, where she raised her children with an iron fist . . . and torture, too, if necessary.
"Of course. Our 'Master' is eager to get back to his paradise on New Genesis. He maintains that he is still negotiating with them, when we know that he is enjoying life in luxury." Desaad stood at the head of the small room, looking at his partners in treachery. "Once the anti-life equation is ours, we will control not one, but all worlds!"
*************** Alan Scott slowly awakened as his unconsciousness slipped away into the dark. He was strapped to a gurney, standing upright. Struggling, he couldn't even budge. As Sentinel, considered by many to be the most powerful being in the universe, he should be able to call on the green flame that fuels him to release him in an instant. However, something was keeping him from fully tapping into the power of the starheart. It had been this way since he had been ambushed those few years prior.
He had spent his time on this vile planet of Apokolips having his limits tested and his power drained. His captors kept all the prisoners separate from each other, but Alan managed to retain enough power to make brief contact with many of his fellow inmates.
There was the boy, Billy, who was never allowed to leave his chair. They tortured him constantly, making him repeat a word over and over again. Alan would try to help Billy to maintain his sanity. They would talk, albeit in their minds, and Alan would tell Billy stories to fuel his imagination. Billy would pay rapt attention for hours, learning about the antics of Captain Carrot, and the Losers, and the Swamp Thing. And then, it would be time again. Alan always begged Billy to give in. "Don't fight, Billy. It's just a word."
Billy would fight until his eyes were bloodshot and his ears bled until he would give in. "Shazam!" he'd cry, and lightning would flash down to him. Before it could hit him, however, it was diverted by the surrounding apparatus embracing his chair. Alan was always equal parts amazed and dismayed at the resistance this child could put forth, time and time again. It killed him to hear Billy's cries after another session.
There was Ray, who had amazing light-generating abilities. He was plugged into a receiver dish, with wires coming from every possible location on his body. For twelve hours a day, his power was forcibly removed from him, and he was given twelve hours a day to recharge. A small portal - or Boom Tube, Alan recalled - was opened, allowing the sun from Earth to pour through. During this time, Alan and Ray would talk about his father, Happy, who was one of Alan's teammates years ago.
There was Ted Knight, a friend and former teammate, as well. Ted resisted his captors in the beginning, but now used his cosmic rod willingly. Alan feared that Ted's mind had crumbled, only to learn that Ted's power was being used to fuel and provide valuable resources to some of Apokolips' most downtrodden residents.
And of course, there were many more - the girl who could generate ice, the atomic military man, the man who could blow things up at will, and the Flashes. Alan had only caught a brief psychic glimpse of Jay and Barry, after he'd been a prisoner for about six months, but couldn't find them anymore. He hoped they were out there somewhere. Coming back to reality, Alan tried to gauge his surroundings. From the faint glow he generated, it looked like he was in a small black capsule - just large enough to fit his lanky frame. He felt like he had been trapped in a giant black pill, about to be swallowed by some unknown monster.
***************** "What is contained in those black capsules?" Orion asked, viewing the testing chamber from a nearby control room. A silver globe more than twenty feet in diameter floated in the middle of the chamber, surrounded by twenty black capsules. The capsules were spread evenly throughout the chamber and connected to the silver globe by thick black cables.
"Those are volunteers who have offered a small portion of their essence for this experiment, Master Orion." Desaad said as he hovered over the console. "We will begin counting down. When it is the proper time, please direct your Astro-force to the birthing matrix." He pointed to the silver globe.
**5 MINUTES AND COUNTING**
Jay ran harder, sweat glistening on his forehead. After they took Barry away, he was forced to run twice as long and hard as before. I hope Barry is okay, he thought, although part of him hoped that Barry had finally succumbed to the release of death. It seemed only fair.
After five plus years of waiting to be rescued, of hoping against hope that his family was coming for him, Barry had finally given up. He had stopped running and just stood there, staring off into space. "They're not coming," he said quietly. That was when they had come and taken Barry away, kicking and screaming, and forced Jay to perform the work of two speedsters.
**4 MINUTES AND COUNTING**
In the testing chamber, the silver globe slowly opened, in response to a command from Desaad. It was empty inside, Orion could see clearly. He watched as two mute parademons entered the chamber, dragging a fighting, screaming figure. The figure was unceremoniously dumped into the globe and shackled in place. One of the parademons slapped the figure viciously, silencing the screams. Orion wanted to look away - was he not given to mercy? - but knew that Desaad would interpret it as weakness. The birthing matrix closed and the chamber was once again quiet.
**3 MINUTES AND COUNTING**
Alan realized, with a strange sense of déjà vu, that he was pretty sure he knew what was going to happen. I must warn someone, he thought. Maybe I can just reach anyone on Earth if I try hard enough. Putting forth more effort than even when he was first captured, Alan sent an urgent message to Earth. "Trouble coming!" was all he could manage before slumping in his restraints, on the edge of consciousness.
**2 MINUTES AND COUNTING**
J'onn J'onzz sat in the monitor room, observing the hundreds of monitors flashing "all clear" messages. Although he normally liked the peace and quiet that came from the midnight shift of monitor duty, he realized that he was feeling quite anti-monitor duty. Maybe it was due to the fact that, as a founding member of the Justice League, he finally felt he had friends. He could find consolation in activities other than quiet observation and eating Choco cookies.
"TROUBLE COMING!" The words blared in his head, causing him to reel from the pure force. As he braced himself for another psychic assault, he felt the connection dissipate. J'onn concentrated for a moment, trying to trace the residue to its source, but was unable to. Quickly, he contacted his teammates and requested an urgent meeting.
**1 MINUTE AND COUNTING**
Each of the black capsules started glowing and the cables leading to the birthing matrix gave off an eerie blue glow. Alan screamed in agony as he felt his power drained out of him, and he could hear the screams of those around him.
**ZERO**
Orion's eyes flared, and the all-powerful Astro-force blazed towards the matrix. It sparked with lightning and smoke poured from the seams. After about a minute, Orion stopped. The capsules stopped glowing and the silver globe slowly opened.
Smoke obscured everyone's vision. As it cleared, Orion and his generals could see a figure standing in the shadows of the open matrix. Power poured, palpably, in waves from the unmoving form.
Orion spoke clearly. "This is your Master Orion, Lord of Apokolips. You are mine and mine alone to command. Step forward and be seen."
He gazed in triumph as Darkseid stepped forward, staring ahead with blank eyes.
This is a sequel to Slow Burn (duh!) and it is recommended you read it before you try to figure out what is going on here.
***************** The large, red-haired figure stood silently at the window, clasping his hands behind his back. When he spoke, his voice was harsh and grating. "Desaad, why have you called me back from my negotiations on New Genesis?"
Desaad, an ugly little man who always hid his face in a large-cowled robe, scurried over. "Master Orion, although Apokolips has flourished in your absence, we needed your power to reach our goal. Your Astro-force is necessary to provide the proper . . . motivation."
"And what, pray tell, is our goal?"
"Ever since your father, the mighty Darkseid, discovered that the final portion of the anti-life equation resided within the mind of one of Earth's humans, he has prepared for its harvesting. His disappearance five years ago has not stopped our machinations." Desaad's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Why would I, ruler of Apokolips, care about the free will of the universe?"
"Because, Master Orion, the full anti-life equation will, as you say, give you full reign and control over the free will of every soul in the universe. Only then will you have the order that you so desperately seek."
"Infidel!" Orion roared, sending Desaad to the ground with a vicious backhand. His eyes glowed. "I am a GOD, you unworthy rodent, and you will do well to remember that desperation is for the weak."
"Yes, Master Orion," Desaad huddled on the ground.
"Very well, I shall provide my Astro-force where you need it. Go and prepare the project."
**************** "Did everything go according to plan?" queried a large, imposing woman. With a huge mane of white hair and a scarred, twisted face, Granny Goodness was exactly the type of monster who would give children nightmares. And that she did, in her orphanage, where she raised her children with an iron fist . . . and torture, too, if necessary.
"Of course. Our 'Master' is eager to get back to his paradise on New Genesis. He maintains that he is still negotiating with them, when we know that he is enjoying life in luxury." Desaad stood at the head of the small room, looking at his partners in treachery. "Once the anti-life equation is ours, we will control not one, but all worlds!"
*************** Alan Scott slowly awakened as his unconsciousness slipped away into the dark. He was strapped to a gurney, standing upright. Struggling, he couldn't even budge. As Sentinel, considered by many to be the most powerful being in the universe, he should be able to call on the green flame that fuels him to release him in an instant. However, something was keeping him from fully tapping into the power of the starheart. It had been this way since he had been ambushed those few years prior.
He had spent his time on this vile planet of Apokolips having his limits tested and his power drained. His captors kept all the prisoners separate from each other, but Alan managed to retain enough power to make brief contact with many of his fellow inmates.
There was the boy, Billy, who was never allowed to leave his chair. They tortured him constantly, making him repeat a word over and over again. Alan would try to help Billy to maintain his sanity. They would talk, albeit in their minds, and Alan would tell Billy stories to fuel his imagination. Billy would pay rapt attention for hours, learning about the antics of Captain Carrot, and the Losers, and the Swamp Thing. And then, it would be time again. Alan always begged Billy to give in. "Don't fight, Billy. It's just a word."
Billy would fight until his eyes were bloodshot and his ears bled until he would give in. "Shazam!" he'd cry, and lightning would flash down to him. Before it could hit him, however, it was diverted by the surrounding apparatus embracing his chair. Alan was always equal parts amazed and dismayed at the resistance this child could put forth, time and time again. It killed him to hear Billy's cries after another session.
There was Ray, who had amazing light-generating abilities. He was plugged into a receiver dish, with wires coming from every possible location on his body. For twelve hours a day, his power was forcibly removed from him, and he was given twelve hours a day to recharge. A small portal - or Boom Tube, Alan recalled - was opened, allowing the sun from Earth to pour through. During this time, Alan and Ray would talk about his father, Happy, who was one of Alan's teammates years ago.
There was Ted Knight, a friend and former teammate, as well. Ted resisted his captors in the beginning, but now used his cosmic rod willingly. Alan feared that Ted's mind had crumbled, only to learn that Ted's power was being used to fuel and provide valuable resources to some of Apokolips' most downtrodden residents.
And of course, there were many more - the girl who could generate ice, the atomic military man, the man who could blow things up at will, and the Flashes. Alan had only caught a brief psychic glimpse of Jay and Barry, after he'd been a prisoner for about six months, but couldn't find them anymore. He hoped they were out there somewhere. Coming back to reality, Alan tried to gauge his surroundings. From the faint glow he generated, it looked like he was in a small black capsule - just large enough to fit his lanky frame. He felt like he had been trapped in a giant black pill, about to be swallowed by some unknown monster.
***************** "What is contained in those black capsules?" Orion asked, viewing the testing chamber from a nearby control room. A silver globe more than twenty feet in diameter floated in the middle of the chamber, surrounded by twenty black capsules. The capsules were spread evenly throughout the chamber and connected to the silver globe by thick black cables.
"Those are volunteers who have offered a small portion of their essence for this experiment, Master Orion." Desaad said as he hovered over the console. "We will begin counting down. When it is the proper time, please direct your Astro-force to the birthing matrix." He pointed to the silver globe.
**5 MINUTES AND COUNTING**
Jay ran harder, sweat glistening on his forehead. After they took Barry away, he was forced to run twice as long and hard as before. I hope Barry is okay, he thought, although part of him hoped that Barry had finally succumbed to the release of death. It seemed only fair.
After five plus years of waiting to be rescued, of hoping against hope that his family was coming for him, Barry had finally given up. He had stopped running and just stood there, staring off into space. "They're not coming," he said quietly. That was when they had come and taken Barry away, kicking and screaming, and forced Jay to perform the work of two speedsters.
**4 MINUTES AND COUNTING**
In the testing chamber, the silver globe slowly opened, in response to a command from Desaad. It was empty inside, Orion could see clearly. He watched as two mute parademons entered the chamber, dragging a fighting, screaming figure. The figure was unceremoniously dumped into the globe and shackled in place. One of the parademons slapped the figure viciously, silencing the screams. Orion wanted to look away - was he not given to mercy? - but knew that Desaad would interpret it as weakness. The birthing matrix closed and the chamber was once again quiet.
**3 MINUTES AND COUNTING**
Alan realized, with a strange sense of déjà vu, that he was pretty sure he knew what was going to happen. I must warn someone, he thought. Maybe I can just reach anyone on Earth if I try hard enough. Putting forth more effort than even when he was first captured, Alan sent an urgent message to Earth. "Trouble coming!" was all he could manage before slumping in his restraints, on the edge of consciousness.
**2 MINUTES AND COUNTING**
J'onn J'onzz sat in the monitor room, observing the hundreds of monitors flashing "all clear" messages. Although he normally liked the peace and quiet that came from the midnight shift of monitor duty, he realized that he was feeling quite anti-monitor duty. Maybe it was due to the fact that, as a founding member of the Justice League, he finally felt he had friends. He could find consolation in activities other than quiet observation and eating Choco cookies.
"TROUBLE COMING!" The words blared in his head, causing him to reel from the pure force. As he braced himself for another psychic assault, he felt the connection dissipate. J'onn concentrated for a moment, trying to trace the residue to its source, but was unable to. Quickly, he contacted his teammates and requested an urgent meeting.
**1 MINUTE AND COUNTING**
Each of the black capsules started glowing and the cables leading to the birthing matrix gave off an eerie blue glow. Alan screamed in agony as he felt his power drained out of him, and he could hear the screams of those around him.
**ZERO**
Orion's eyes flared, and the all-powerful Astro-force blazed towards the matrix. It sparked with lightning and smoke poured from the seams. After about a minute, Orion stopped. The capsules stopped glowing and the silver globe slowly opened.
Smoke obscured everyone's vision. As it cleared, Orion and his generals could see a figure standing in the shadows of the open matrix. Power poured, palpably, in waves from the unmoving form.
Orion spoke clearly. "This is your Master Orion, Lord of Apokolips. You are mine and mine alone to command. Step forward and be seen."
He gazed in triumph as Darkseid stepped forward, staring ahead with blank eyes.