"At last... My darlings, my Outlaws...we've been waiting for you."
As their eyes slowly adjusted, they began to see dozens, if not hundreds of silhouettes and familiar faces. And one not-so-familiar face that was absolutely revolting as it grinned above them.
"Wow," Jason muttered, masking his shock with a cocky smirk. "You're even uglier than your little servant freaks." He heard several panicked gasps and he rolled his eyes -honestly, who cared if he offended the stupid monster?- but the creature just tilted it's dark head in amusement.
"This is what happens when you've lived as long as I have. I used to be quite a catch, actually," it hummed thoughtfully. "But I assure you, what I lack in looks, I make up for one-hundred fold in divine power," it added smoothly.
"Yes, you've made that clear by stalking us and blackmailing us into playing whatever sick little game you've come up with," he retorted defiantly.
"I did not blackmail you. If you remember, I gave you all a choice," it replied, unimpressed.
"You kidnapped everyone we know, there wasn't much choice in that," Roy cut in coldly.
"Of course there was, Roy Harper. You just eliminated the smart choice because of your regretful sense of obligation for these people," he gestured toward the grim faces watching them.
"Well I have no obligation to these people," Kori interrupted pointedly. "I still chose to fight for them. There are good people here, they don't deserve to die."
"Don't they?" it smirked quietly. "You, my dear princess, disappoint me with every word you say. You have every obligation to these people. You may not remember them, but they remember you; you were their dear friend, too," it revealed slyly. "And even if you don't remember them, your obligation is still to them, only because you feel keeping them alive is justified. You believe they are innocent. And you have never been more wrong," it sneered. "Have you not paid attention to the stories that your two friends have told you? To the pain they have caused, to the evil they provoked?" Kori was absolutely still as the old, condescending creature pierced her with truth. Every cell in her body was screaming that this was wrong, that it was twisted and horrible but she couldn't escape the logic of his words. She wished more than ever that she could summon the fire she needed to burn him to the ground, but all she felt was cold. The empty coldness inside of her because of him. She felt angry, helpless tears well up in her eyes and that only made it worse. Princess Koriand'r was not weak, she was not stupid, she was not supposed to be this...helpless. She had never hated anyone or anything more than she hated the thing in front of her, but she could do nothing about it.
"Clorbag varblernelk," she muttered a bitter curse in her own language at him.
"Mind your language, dear," it replied coolly. Kori hissed when she realized that it had understood her. She hated feeling powerless like this. Roy tried to grab her hand comfortingly but she yanked it away with an angry scowl and Roy threw his hands up apologetically.
"The point is," the creature continued fluidly, "you three agreed to come here of your own free wills to fight for the fate of your...peers," it selected the word carefully, "as well as for the rest of your universe and for yourselves. Am I not correct?" Jason and Roy nodded grudgingly, Kori just glared at him in wounded pride, refusing to answer. He paid it no mind. "Excellent. Now that we're all finally on the same page, let me explain the rules:
"Look around you. Look at every face of every friend, foe and family member you've ever known or heard of. You notice they are unmasked, unarmed and powerless?"
"Obviously," Kori snapped bitterly.
The creature ignored her and continued on. "They are under my complete and total control. If they disobey me, I punish them."
"How exactly do you do that?" Roy snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Would you like me to demonstrate?" the creature smiled wickedly.
Immediately, the captives eyes widened in terror and some gasped and begged desperately. "Please, No!" "Oh god," "No, please, Roy, I'm begging you!" But it was too late. The Outlaws watched in horror as the panicked crowd froze with silent, open mouthed screams and fell to the floor. They writhed and thrashed, some of them even rolling their eyes back into their heads or foaming at the mouths. Even Oliver...Bruce...Ra's al fucking Ghul, Superman, the Joker... it was sickening to see them all like this (well...most of them). Detest them or not, seeing the most powerful, invulnerable people suffering this silent, agonizing torture was...honestly making them physically ill.
"Stop it! Stop it, we get it, okay?!" Roy shoved at the creature desperately with wide, panicky eyes. Jason stood stark still and fought the urge to vomit. Kori had closed her eyes in shame and covered her face. Finally, the creature released his captives and turned almost smugly back to the trio.
"You...you make a very clear case," Jason forced out roughly, trying not to look at the victims still groaning on the cold stone floor.
"Would you like to know how I do that?" it asked almost seductively. Jason's face twitched uncertainly and he couldn't help but take a step back. "Oh, come on, ask me," it implored almost excitedly.
Jason stared up at the gray, ugly face before hesitantly obeying. "How do you do it?"
The creature leaned in close, just inches away from Jason's face, making him cringe uncomfortably. "I stole their souls," it whispered.
"What?" Roy huffed out a short, disbelieving breath. "Their- their souls? As in, everlasting, immortal souls?" he scoffed. There was no way. He didn't believe in that shit; he never had. Whoever this was, he was very powerful and very intimidating, but Roy Harper called bullshit on the god complex. There were no such thing as souls, just complex state of matter that created and sustained life until death. Science and fact proved that. There was no evidence that souls or any kind of life after death existed. He knows; he checked.
"You poor, faithless creature," the Captor clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Just because you couldn't find Lian after her passing doesn't mean there is nothing. It simply means she is far, far away where you can't reach her. She didn't stay, Roy. She moved on. Clearly you did not." Roy bared his teeth in anger when his daughter's name was mentioned and he couldn't help that his hands balled into fists.
"No matter. There is no reaching the girl now. But tell me... if souls weren't real, how can you explain Jason's resurrection?" Jason froze and stared attentively at the Captor. Roy's eyes widened before casting away. He hadn't thought of that before.
"How?" Jason asked quietly as he stepped forward. This...this strange creature had answers. He knew more about Jason than he did himself. He could finally know what brought him back...and...why.
Captor turned placidly to face him with an amused smile. "Initially, it was an accident. Your physical return to the world was caused by a temporary lapse in the fabric of reality. Basically, your brain was revived and re-animated your corpse. But without your soul...you were practically brain dead. Then Talia found you, which was the best possible stroke of luck. Her father's Lazarus Pits, which he himself hardly understands the nature of," he added with a disapproving look at the al Ghuls hunched over by one of the stone walls, "are actually portals to the eternal, hallowed dimension. Basically, what you humans call heaven. That's what renders it's healing qualities. Really, it's just the space between all the universes where all souls of all universes and dimensions fly to after death. Some resurface in other dimensions and are reborn into another life -what you call reincarnation. But in his case...Jason's physical, empty body called out to his soul like a magnet once it entered the Pit, and reunited. His very existence is a fascinating anomaly. Don't you think so?" he asked.
Jason's gaze was foggy and conflicted as the creature explained everything to him. He finally had answers that he'd been wondering about for years, and yet...it didn't make him feel any better. An anomaly, Captor had called him. Like a snake with two heads or a freak specimen that needed to be disected and examined.
"Makes sense, doesn't it?" it arched a brow triumphantly. Roy shook his head in denial and exasperation.
"Who the hell are you? How do you know so much about me and him and...everything?" he asked in frustration.
Captor sighed. "I'm what you would call a god; Observer, caretaker and punisher of all the universes. I quite literally know everything."
"You're telling me that a sick, sadistic creature like you created the universe?" Kori scowled in disgust.
The creature rolled it's eyes. "You mortals bore me with your questions. No, I did not create it. Your science can prove that much. I am merely the keeper, if you will. Granted full, unlimited power and knowledge of all the universes and protector and warden over all the lives inside of them."
"Good god, maybe killing us all would be a mercy then," Roy muttered bitterly.
Captor snarled. "Watch it, boy. I'm being kind enough to offer you a chance to reconcile your universe's misdeeds. Another remark like that and I'll take you up on the offer," it hissed warningly. Roy scowled, but said not another word.
"No more questions, I'm growing impatient with the lot of you," he ordered.
"As I was saying earlier, I have each and every one of your souls in my possesion. All I have to do is grind them into dust, and you'll die a very painful death and it'll be as though you never existed. The object of my little game...is to rescue those souls individually, including your own." the Outlaws froze at that and paled considerably. "I have an...arena of sorts, set up where you will enter the minds and memories of each prisoner. You will face their worst fears and find a token that represents their soul. Fail to rescue that soul, the representative dies instantly and you lose the game. You either save everyone...or save no one. That means everyone you love...and everyone you hate," it grinned wickedly. Bile rose in Jason's mouth but he forced it back down. "You'll start out with the easiest, of course, and work your way up to the most difficult challenges. Some you will face together, some you will face alone. Do you understand?"
Jason forced himself to nod, prodding Roy with his elbow for him to follow suit. Kori still refused to answer, but for the sake of her friends, offered a curt half-nod on their behalf.
"W-...what happens if we fail to save ourselves, but save everyone else?" Roy dared to ask. "Will you make an exception for that?"
The Capor's eyes widened in surprise and he hummed thoughtfully.
"Or what if two of us die in the process and the last one succeeds?"
"You three are all very...noble tonight," Captor commented apprehensively.
"We have given up everything to fight for them, against our better judgement according to you," Kori finally spoke up proudly. "You have set the odds against us from the start. At least grant us that."
Captor considered this for a moment before nodding. "If you save the lives of everyone else, but fail to save your own...you will die. But the souls you have saved, if there is at least one of you left standing, will be spared. If all of you die, however, the game is over. Fair?" The Outlaws nodded solemnly and squared their shoulders tensely.
"Before we start... would you like to say your last goodbyes? Just in case, of course," Captor offered with a cool smirk. The three exchanged a hesitant look and turned to gaze at the faces of their past; Bruce, Dick, Tim, Oliver, Conner, Garfield, Victor, Talia... Jason and Roy immediately wanted to say no. They couldn't bear what their counterparts might say. But Kori pinched them both in the arm and nudged them insistently.
"This may be your last chance to speak to them," she insisted quietly. "Isn't there anything you want to say to them before you go?" Jason immediately wanted to argue that no, he definitely didn't want to speak with his god damn nightmare of a family. Roy didn't feel quite that strongly...but the fear of seeing Oliver again and the pain at remembering last time they spoke...it made him hesitate.
"Please... if we're going to fight and die for them, you should probably want the incentive to win for them," she urged logically before shoving them towards the crowd. They groaned in unison at her before steeling themselves as they walked their separate ways, Jason toward Bruce and Dick and the replacement and the replacement's replacement...and Roy toward Oliver.