Unknown Date | Battleword | Trial 2 of 3.5 | POV: Alexander Morue
Xander Morue stood within the Beyonder's large arena, his stance shifting over the dirt beneath him as he looked towards his six 'enemies'. If he wanted to survive and make it to the next part of the trial, he would need to take out these six, and take down the champion. The countdown began, giving him ample time to collect information on the six as he readied himself for battle. Years of training in his youth as well as under Ra's al Ghul led him to this moment, a fight for life or death. Three...Two...One...He rushed forward, his feet kicking against the ground as he produced two silver knives from his waist.
Enacting part one of the plan, he threw them with precision, watching as the two collided with their targets. The first hit Cicada II in the forehead, killing her instantly while the second one embedded itself with Mr. Freeze's power core. The result was a chain reaction that sent the suit into a cascade-failure. The cryogenic tech within the suit sped up the process, overpowering its fail-safes as Mr. Freeze froze to death, becoming an icicle as the two fell to the ground dead. Two down, four to go. As the five ran towards each other, Xander fired to nanite clusters directly towards Toxin and Carnage, whose symbiotic gue-like skin absorbed the clusters without worry. Using his favorite tactic, Xander slid through Tyros' legs, grinning as the man swung his spear directly into Carnage, impaling the symbiote, who roared in anger before tacking Tyros to the ground. Technically not a win, but it kept the two off of his back for a while. Getting to his feet, he kicked Toxin back, before landing an energy mallet punch to Blastaar's stomach, sending the beast tumbling back in pain.
Xander's attention turned towards Carnage and Tyros for a second, and couldn't help but grin. The symbiote was on top of Tyros, who was yelling and squirming as the gue-like symbiote attached it to him. Once he was satisfied, he pressed a button on his left gauntlet, initiating the self-destruct sequence to the nanite clusters. The result was exactly as intended. The explosion obliterated Toxin and Carnage, taking Tyros with them while Xander and Blastaar remained. The beast in question roared, before kicking Xander across the stadium and into the wall, creating a crater within the concrete. He looked up to see the Beyonder looking down at the scene with fear in his eyes. It appeared that Xander had single-handedly taken down the entity's top players...easily...though with a lot of luck. After all, Cicada II and Mr. Freeze could have easily blocked his knives. His lack of attention seemed to be his downfall, seeing as Blastaar came charging, plowing his shoulder into Xander, who yelled in pain from the massive armor that seemed to pierce and dent his armor.
Turning his attention back to the trial at hand, he put all of his power into the unibeam on his chest and sent a large beam of energy directly into Blastaar, who unfortunately for him used his arm to shield himself from the blast. The amount of energy in the beam proved too much as the beam ripped his arm down to its atoms. It seemed Xander had a thing for ripping people's arms off. He charged forward, exchanging blows with the beast, who seemed to hold him back with some trouble, which was expected with the lack of a left arm. After a good five minutes of exchanging punches, kicks, upper-cuts, and so on, Xander decided to end the show and move on. He sent a blow to the stomach with his energy mallet, forcing Blastaar to double over in pain. Sensing the opportunity, Xander's left forearm and hand morphed into katar, which he promptly used to upper-cut the beast, stabbing him through the head, killing him. Turning his right hand and forearm into another katar, Xander stabbed Blastaar's lower abdomen, before hoisting him overhead. He knew he couldn't show power to the fake crowd, but he could definitely show power to the Beyonder, who seemed beyond scared that he would have to grant Xander's request.
He slammed the dead beast into the ground, letting the corpse join the other two as he looked up at the Beyonder, who growled, before motioning towards the cargo door that Xander had entered from. Phantom nodded and moved into the greater facility, which appeared to just be what was beneath the stadium seats. He found the directory and was met with multiple sections. The brig. The 'Ready Room' where competitors would prepare to fight challengers. The 'Arsenal Room' where the Beyonder kept his weapons, which the competitors could use. The cafeteria, where the competitors would eat. The infirmary. And finally, the living quarters. He wasn't really hungry, had only suffered from cuts and bruises in the fight, and wasn't going back into the arena just yet, so he decided that the Arsenal Room was his best bet. The white hallways were empty. Void of life and appliances. There were no lights, no seats, no paintings. Nothing. There were only white doors leading into different sections, with the exception of one red door, which appeared worn down and broken, labeled as 'The Brig'. Not ominous at all, the color of blood.
His curiosity beating him up, he pressed a hand against the handleless door, watching as it slid open to reveal a long corridor of cells. Only one had an occupant, who appeared to be a man with zero features, almost invisible if Xander thought about it. It moved to 'look' at him before it spoke. "Who are you, traveler? Are you here to mock me like those before you?" Xander shook his head and moved over towards the cell, where he examined the cell's lock. "How did you end up in here?"
"I was brought here by the Beyonder, who wished for me to fight. I chose not to and was instead sent here, where I will live out the rest of my days," The entity spoke. Xander nodded in understanding, before grabbing hold of the bars. "I'm fighting the champion in a few minutes. If I win...I'll get you out. If I lose...well, I'll be dead," Xander replied. The entity or creature nodded, and Xander could almost tell it was smiling. The horn overhead went off, telling Xander it was time for him to go to the Ready Room, where he would be sent back out into the arena. "I will return. I assure you," The entity nodded, letting Xander exit the room as he moved down the curved hallway. He was annoyed as all hell with the Speed Force, but he was also thankful. If he survived, he would be granted Lordship of the Speed Force, he would receive his request from the Beyonder, and would - you know - live. These trials also reflected his own skills. The first trial tested his cleverness and his problem-solving skills, while this trial obviously tested his morality and his fighting skills. He was halfway through his tasks, and he was damn sure he was going to make it through the rest of them.
Xander stepped into the Ready Room, met with a blank box for a room. The roof, floor, and three walls were white, while the wall in front of him was grey. He was met with a much smaller version of the Beyonder, who held out a small tray, which contained a small...pen. "Your request is rather...demanding. In order to put the request into fruition, I need you to sign this document, which will hold throughout the cosmos," Uncertain, Xander approached the entity, and examined the one paper contract. Simply put, it said that Xander would have to return to Battleworld once at any time to fight the Beyonder's competitors. It seemed pretty simple. Quite happy with the agreement, Xander signed on the dotted line, before turning towards the grey door leading out into the arena.
"You will lose you know," The Beyonder spoke, forcing Xander to frown through his cowl at the comment. "Our champion has reigned supreme for over seven decades. Thousands have tried to face him and have failed, I doubt you will be the last. I also see you have failed to acquire a weapon from our arsenal, which was a poor decision. After all, I doubt your nanites will be able to penetrate its armor," The grey cargo-bay door slid open, revealing the large arena, where one lone figure stood. It...was a robot. "A.M.A.Z.O, a champion sent from Earth by an anonymous individual. Unbeatable in every way. Took on Thanos himself once, but was unable to beat the titan, who cheated by using Death's help. His weakness? Nothing. Good luck out there, Phantom. I have a feeling you're going to need it,"
Xander nodded, not feeling the need to comment as he moved into the arena, which was then overshadowed by the giant Beyonder. "I've been collecting data on this A.M.A.Z.O and have found something. Created by Ivo Labs in 2017 in an attempt to fight against the threat of metahumans and aliens, it was created with a program that allowed it to assimilate any power or ability a meta or alien possessed. It was awoken by Oliver Queen or The Flash in an altercation at Ivo Labs and became a threat to the future Justice League. It was then defeated soon after by Barry Allen's Green Arrow, Oliver Queen's The Flash, Clark Kent's Superman, Kara Danvers' Supergirl, as well as Team Flash. Its weakness, according to data, appears to be a virus that must be planted below the robot's armor. I am synthesizing the virus now," Evelyn spoke.
Great. All he needed to do was survive, and find a possible entry point. "Double-time it please, Evelyn. I'd rather not be killed immediately," Xander replied. He couldn't use any weapons against this thing or it would only replicate them and use them against him, and he couldn't fight him for the same reason. Ten...nine...eight...seven... six...five...four...three...his jet-pack, which he had stolen from the Parademon in his first trial, suddenly activated...one…"FIGHT!" Beyonder exclaimed into the stadium as Xander shot into the sky. He watched as A.M.A.Z.O replicated the jet-pack, flying up with him as the two took to the skies. The only way to stay out of reach without using his speed was to use his jet-pack and fly spontaneously to avoid creating a pattern, which A.M.A.Z.O could then use to annihilate him.
He wanted to make this as easy as possible. Quick and without injury. He looped the arena at random, trying to gain distance from the gaining robot. Evelyn had placed a bar on his HUD, which displayed the progress of the virus, which currently sat at twenty-three percent. His lack of attention once again proved to be his downfall, as A.M.A.Z.O caught up with him. The robot grabbed his ankle, causing Xander to lose his balance as he went back and forth. The robot then swung its arm, sending him flying back into the arena where he crashed into the ground painfully. A.M.A.Z.O immediately grabbed him by the throat, pushing him into the ground as he flew, damaging Xander's nanites before he was slammed into the wall by A.M.A.Z.O. Xander growled as his unarmored back dug into the wall, which promptly dug into his back. The virus was only at 69%, meaning Xander had to keep the robot busy for another minute before he could finish the fight. His back in immense pain, his plan B came into effect. He fired his unibeam at full power, sending A.M.A.Z.O flying. The only drawback? A.M.A.Z.O's grip held onto Xander's neck, pulling him along for the ride as the two went tumbling through the arena.
Deciding that overwhelming it was the best option, Xander decided to unleash his own arsenal with the nanites he had left. The reactor in his suit had been damaged in his fight with Blastaar, meaning he had significantly less power powering his suit. That and his lack of nanites meant he would have to conserve the best he could until he could replicate the nanites. He used his unibeam to send A.M.A.Z.O into the arena wall, before using both his nano-railgun and his automatic energy blaster to overwhelm the robot. 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%. His idea worked well enough, that was until he was hit from behind, sending him face-first into the sand below before he spun around to face a new challenger. Venom.
"Must kill Phantom," The symbiote growled before stabbing him directly in the reactor, draining all of Xander's power. This left his suit as a mere shell. Xander screamed in pain as he was once again impaled for the second time that day. Venom removed the 'sword', before throwing him directly into A.M.A.Z.O, who slammed him into the ground. The virus was at 99%, meaning he needed power in order to create the virus and kill Venom. It was also a good thing he knew an evil robot that ran off of a power source. Xander grabbed Venom by the arm, using his 'sword' arm to stab A.M.A.Z.O directly in the eye. The wound caused a short-circuit, with the energy emitted from the wound arcing directly into Xander's suit. This move provided enough power not only to finish the virus but to send a nanite cluster directly into Venom, who exploded violently, leaving nothing left. With his power almost out, Evelyn transferred the virus into his suit. Growling towards A.M.A.Z.O, who was moving towards him, Xander broke off a piece of his armor, which he promptly shoved into the robot's eye.
The virus spread, creating a cascade effect that blew the robot to smithereens. The blast sent him flying back, crashing back into the wall, which he could swear almost broke his back. Xander fell to the ground in pain from his injuries, landing on his knees as he collected himself. He stood up, cracking his back before looking up at the Beyonder. "Well? Are you not entertained?!" Xander exclaimed up at the Beyonder, who seemed more angry than surprised.
"Fine! You win! You win! Now get out of here!" The Beyonder exclaimed. Xander nodded and moved towards the cargo bay doors. He entered the Ready-Room, and moved down the hallway quickly, draining power from the facility to fuel his Fusion Reactor, as well as to replicate his nanites. Once his suit was completely restored, and he had power to last him for a while, Xander entered the brig once more, where he set eyes on the detail-less figure within the closest cell. "I won. I won the championship," Xander spoke as he moved towards the waiting cell, his attention on the cell lock. He cut it with his laser, opening the power-dampening cell before helping the entity out before turning his attention to the entity itself. The entity was almost transparent, with tiny star-like dots all over its 'body'. It had a greenish mist within its center, indicating what he assumed was an emotion. "What's your name?" Xander helped the entity out of the brig, watching it increase its strength through the facility as he had done just minutes before. "My name is Vannu, the lone survivor of my race. I must thank you for freeing me from my confines, however, I have nowhere else to go,"
"That's...not entirely true. I can take you to my home. Earth. I know a few places you might like. Tell you what, I'll take you there...show you around…" Xander stopped, clutching his chest as nanites began to invade the wound, healing it. "I'll take you there," The entity continued to glow green, which Xander assumed was happiness… possibly. He continued down the bleak and uninteresting hallway, before reaching the facilities airlock, which slid open to greet them. "Hold on a moment," Xander added, turning away from Vannu and the airlock as a cluster of particles formed within his hand. He placed it against the wall, before joining Vannu.
The airlock slid shut, sealing them in between the facility and space before the second airlock slid open. The mouth to his cowl slid shut, letting Xander breathe as the two moved into space, where Xander could make out Earth and the moon in the distance. He turned back and found nothing but empty space. It seemed they had been sent back to their dimension, well, at least Xander's dimension. He was about to jump into flight mode but was stopped at the two sights in front of him. Vannu floated in front of him, the entity's arms extended as it drained matter into the large green mist located in the 'bodies' center. It grew larger, before turning back towards Xander, who had now turned to his legs. They were disintegrating like they had on Themyscira. It was time for part two. "What is happening to you?" Xander smiled, before looking up towards Vannu. "I'm being called away. Don't worry...I'll hopefully be back soon to meet you again, Vannu,"
"I understand. You are destined for great things, Xander. I, however, need you to do one more thing for me. I need you to throw me down to your planet, where I hope to live peacefully for the rest of my days," Xander, confused, flew forward closer to Vannu, who was slowly shrinking to size. It wasn't until the entity creature turned into a large silver and blue ball that Xander understood. He grabbed it, holding onto it tightly as he examined the blue and green orb in the distance. "I'll see you soon friend. I promise," With that, Xander spun around multiple times at high speeds, gaining momentum and speed before he hurled the ball towards the planet. His neck disintegrated, slowly moving up to his head, giving the time he needed to watch a tiny impact in the distance between North and South America. With the delivery complete, he faded back into the Speed Force.
Unknown Date | Unknown | Trial 2.4 of 3.5 | POV: Alexander Morue
Xander appeared within an empty room, his eyes immediately swiveling around as he examined his surroundings. He wouldn't be caught off-guard like he had with Venom. He was instead met with nothing. Xander looked down at his hands, satisfied that his armor was still functioning, and there. "Part two of this trial contains eight parts. Complete each task, and you will be sent to the third trial. Any attempt to leave will result in a forfeit, which will result in your loss of powers, returning you to your state before you were struck by lightning. The timeline will be reset, you have been warned," His stoic expression deepened into a frown as he processed the information the Speed Force had given him.
He moved towards the room's door, opening it to find...nothing. A white room filled with nothing but air. In the center? Nyssa al Ghul. She appeared exactly as she had the moment he had left the palace, only something about her seemed...off. It wasn't his wife, that much he knew. "You are correct. I am not your wife. I am Dream, an entity within the fifth dimension that has been expecting you," Nyssa/Dream spoke. "The Speed Force has told us of your trials, and we are prepared to help you through them. As you are no doubt aware, you will be participating in eight tasks of different difficulties. Dream, Nightmare, Heaven, Hell, New Genesis, Apokolips, Skyland, and Underworld. The light realms are Dream, Heaven, New Genesis, and Skyland. And the dark realms are Nightmare, Hell, Apokolips, and Underworld. The light realms, such as myself, will most likely give tasks partaking to doing a task within a dark realm,"
"For your first task, you are required to create a flashlight capable of emitting high amounts of energy. It will provide great amounts of help in the trials ahead," Dream explained. "Once you complete the flashlight, your first task will be complete," Xander smiled through his cowl, his hand extending to reveal a cluster of nanites, which swam around in the air to form a flashlight that was connected directly to his fusion reactor. "Congratulations. One of eight complete, Mr. Morue. Pass through the same door you used to enter, and you will find yourself within the Nightmare Realm. But be warned, what you will see in there might be...horrific. Try not to get sucked up in what you see, and make it through to Heaven,"
Xander nodded, his confusion bubbling as he turned around to face the door, a dark light illuminating through the sides and bottom. He gulped, uncertain of what lay ahead, and opened the door to find utter darkness. He shut the door, his HUD sliding down to provide night-vision, which seemed useless as he could still see nothing. Before he had the chance to click on the flashlight, the room suddenly illuminated itself to reveal that it was actually a hallway, leading towards a white door at the end. It seemed that was his ticket to Heaven.
He moved forward, reaching a quarter down the hallway when he heard a deathly scream run through the hallway, coming from one of the three doors in said hallway. Xander immediately moved for the door, opening it slowly as he examined the illuminated room. It was his childhood home's living room. The one where his parents and sister had been killed. As soon as the thought ran through his head, three things materialized immediately. His mother and father, both kneeling down on the carpet with a scared expression on their face, and a speedster, which ran around them at high speeds. Only it wasn't the Reverse-Flash like it had been...no...it was a different speedster.
The speedster wore all black, with a red lightning bolt on his chest with red highlights moving throughout the whole suit. The lightning was red, much like Thawne's, as the speedster came to a stop. The speedster did everything Thawne did, killing his parents, before snapping Evelyn's neck after finding her in the closet. Xander froze. He couldn't move, almost as if his feet had sunk into the floor, keeping him in place. The speedster grabbed hold of its mask, peeling it away to reveal...him. Xander. Only this Xander was different. No scars.
The other Xander smiled with a smile like that of the Joker, before rushing towards the real Xander. That was it. This wasn't real. It was all fake. He would never kill his family. Not without some sort of mind control at least. No. It was all fake. Xander clicked on the flashlight, aiming it at the other Xander, who screamed in pain as his entire body suddenly disintegrated from the high-powered light. With that nightmare over, Xander continued down the hallway, avoiding the second door before stopping at the third. He slowly opened it, his eyes set on the Reverse-Flash who stood in the room's center.
"You've failed already, Xander. After four years, you've done nothing but fail. You've lost your wives, your powers, your life. You set out to do one thing, change the universe, and yet you've done nothing but corrupt it with every step you take. How do you intend to succeed when you make it to 2016? Your true objective? How will you survive without your powers?" Thawne asked, moving towards him menacingly. "You're a failure to the Speed Force, Morue. And it should have disposed itself of you long before these stupid trials it has you on. Perhaps it could have made better use of you as a wraith...or a receptionist. Either one given your worth to the timeline," Thawne continued.
"More important than you it seems," Xander countered.
"Yes, but at least I was in the first two original timelines. You weren't important until our beloved Barry Allen changed the timeline for his own gain. Kind of like you, Xander," Thawne replied, wagging his finger comically as he removed his cowl. Instead of the face of Harrison Wells, Xander was met with the face of Eobard Thawne, descendant of Detective Eddie Thawne. Xander chuckled, clutching the flashlight in hand as he took a seat across from Thawne. "Yes, but the difference between us and Allen is that we know what we're doing, and we're both liked by the Speed Force. I'm its champion, and you created its engine,"
"True, but I've been at this a lot longer than you kid. I've killed trillions, and what...you've killed a few people on the League's shit list?" Thawne asked. "You see...Allen and I are special for reasons. Me, because I created The Flash. Allen because he is The Flash. Even Jesse Quick and Wally West are special in their own right and to the timeline. But you...you're nothing, Xander. Nothing but a speck of dirt spilled onto the timeline by Allen's fuck-up. And yet here you are, trying to rewrite everything so you could be at the center. It kind of reminds me of another speedster that I know well. Me,"
"I'm not like you Thawne," Xander defended, trying to not let the madman's words get into his head as he clutched the flashlight even tighter. "But you are, Xander. Taken from your time by the thing you hate. Placed somewhere you're unfamiliar with. Trying your best to make not only a name for yourself but live up to the name of your mentor, only for them to shit into your mouth in disappointment. You're exactly like me, Xander, only you have yet to take the next step. Drop the flashlight, and join me in the world of freedom, where you can make everything about you," Xander frowned, realizing for the first time in minutes that he still had the flashlight in hand. He lifted it up to eye-level, his frown deepening when he remembered the whole point of the task. Get to Heaven. Xander had occupied his time by speaking with an after-image, someone that didn't even exist in this time. He needed to get out of here. "You're not going anywhere, Xander," Thawne/Nightmare spoke as the two got to their feet. Nightmare tried to rush forward but suffered the same fate as the other Xander as the real Xander turned on the flashlight. Once Nightmare was gone, Xander swiftly exited the room, and moved down the rest of the hallway. He opened the door, and stepped through, unsure of what exactly lay ahead.
Unknown Date | Heaven | Trial 2.6 of 3.5 | POV: Alexander Morue
Xander stepped into Heaven, his feet seeping into what appeared to be a large white cloud leading up to a large palace. The palace itself was rather...bleak, at least as far as he could see. He could only see the outer walls, which appeared grey in color, as well as the front steps which led up to the palace's golden gates. Xander could see a lone figure standing by the gates, his fingers dancing over the podium located in front of the gate. The man had short brown hair, a brown beard, green eyes, and wore a white robe that had a golden cross located on the left shoulder. If Xander was correct, this would be Saint Peter, guardian of the gate.
He slowly approached the steps, his suit dematerializing as his nanites created clothes for him. A grey t-shirt with a grey logo on the front, grey jeans, and black boots. Xander stepped up to the podium, making his presence known with a slight cough. Peter looked up at him, his smile wide. The saint looked over the podium, most likely looking over a list before his smile widened. "Alexander Morue, we've been expecting you. Not going to lie, we have been waiting for quite a long time. We thought you might have passed away early and may not have made it through. However, you're here now, so let's get you over to the boss. He will be excited to see you,"
"The boss? As in...God?" Xander asked incredulously as he moved through the gates of Heaven and into the palace itself. Peter nodded, guiding him into the palace itself, which contained only three rooms. The 'throne' room, God's study, and God's bedroom. Did God need a bedroom? Xander shook off the thought and addressed two men on the two thrones. One sat in the middle, while another sat on Xander's left. He assumed the man sitting in the middle was God, and he assumed that the man sitting on his left was Jesus. The son of God wore a tan robe, with a brown beard, brown hair, and brown eyes. God himself appeared the same, only his hair and beard were both longer, as well as white instead of brown.
"My lord, Xander Morue is here," God looked up at the two, Jesus doing the same as Xander and Peter moved towards the center of the throne room. God smiled, setting down his book - God reads books? That would explain the palace's study. "I have waited for a millennia for your arrival, Mr. Morue. You really are one of a kind. Your presence in the timeline has made your death...well, let's just say in the millennia since your birth, you have yet to come here in any timeline. When the Speed Force told me of your arrival, I was ecstatic. After all, you're the only mortal to not come here in any timeline," God explained.
"In...any timeline?" Xander asked.
"Well, in every timeline, you're the Speed Forces champion, which gives you an immense amount of power. One of those was apparently immortality. And you have yet to be killed by a threat. However, don't take that as a sense of arrogance. There are threats ahead, and your luck in the face of battle might come to an end," Jesus replied. God nodded and spoke. "You are here for your task no doubt, so let us begin. Your task is simple. Go to Hell, and retrieve a woman named Nada who is located beneath Lucifer's throne. Retrieve her, and come back to Heaven. Once you have brought her back, your third and fourth trials will be complete," He...It explained.
"That's it?" Xander asked.
"Be warned, Lucifer may be residing on Earth-666 at the moment, but any sign of intrusion within his realm will bring him to you. Stay hidden, avoid detection, and complete the task. The quicker you finish, the quicker you will be sent off to complete your fifth task," Jesus explained, removing a small crystal from his robes. "When you have retrieved Nada, clutch this tightly, and speak four letters. TMTH. Take Me To Heaven. Speak the letters, and you will be brought back here," Xander nodded, moving towards the thrones as he accepted the crystal, not expecting to immediately be swallowed into darkness.