Chapter 4: Overruled
Finding no answer for the riddle on the tetrahedra, Apollyon decided to spend his time in the mortal realm. His Dad commanded him live among the human, so he did. The thing was his Dad didn't tell him how to live his life.
So, he did it his way. Unseen and unnoticed.
Especially when he was messing around in Themyscira. After his escapade with Diana all those years ago, it was cleared he would not receive the best reception there.
Not that he was afraid. Just it would be very hard for him to have a decent conversation when there was a spear thrown at him every few seconds.
…
1986 A.D.
Gotham
It was a normal night as any. The street was busy. People kept to themselves. The fallen angel decided to go to see the thing that is called a movie that Diana once told him about. He found it very amusing for these mortals to act out the thing that didn't happen. What a silly concept.
Ahh, typical mortals. Always want a life they could never have.
He might need to discuss the concept of fun with Diana. It seemed that they have different kind of definition for it.
He decided to watch a movie called "Aliens", which was very ironic because of out of all aliens they could pick they picked the one that didn't exist. Mars was their closest planet and they had no idea what Martians look like. He gave it an 8.4 out of 10, whatever the unit of that was.
Still. He didn't expect to see a familiar face to greet him when he exited the theater. She was a beautiful pale girl in a black long dress. She wore a silver necklace with an ankh shape pendant.
"Oh my. What does a lovely girl like you doing here?" He gave her the sexiest smile he could. "Death."
"I'm here to do my job, Apollyon. Nothing more. Especially, not for you."
"Playing hard to get I see. I know you miss me."
She gave him a 'seriously' look. He gave her an awkwardly smile in return.
"Not it a million years, angel."
"Well. Let's wait and see, shall we? Don't go back on your word when the time comes."
Death rolled her eyes. Being an elder sister to Delirium put enough strain on her sanity. Now she encountered another one like her. She quickly made a mental note 'Do not let those two have kids.'
"Excuse me. Would you mind not obstruct the walkway please."
"Thomas, Dear. Let the two lovebirds be. It's lovely to see youngster flirt. Such an energetic couple."
Apollyon and Death were stunned as they were interrupted by a family of three. And even more stunned from the later comments.
A father, a mother, and a son. A lovely family of Gotham elite. They walked past the angel and the Endless into the alley across the street.
One would have thought a rich family like that would have their driver picked them up at the theater or something. The one thing that was clear was they were going to die. It was the only explanation why the two older Wayne could saw them.
Apollyon looked at Death with curiosity written all over on his face. Death's eyes were sad. She was not happy about what was about to happen. It was just a job, nothing personal.
"Who are they and what makes them so important such that you have to come to guide them yourself?"
"Thomas and Martha Wayne. A surgeon and a socialite. Their death will give birth to one of the most important beings in this blackwater planet's history."
"Their death turns that little boy into what? A conqueror? An emperor? A Messiah?" The fallen angel raised his eyebrows. This was interesting. "Don't be ridiculous."
"No. Just a man dressing in black bat spandex and fight crimes at night. Somehow, he would be one of the most important protectors of Earth. At least that what Destiny told me."
Two consecutive gunshots were heard. Everyone around them ran away in panic.
"It's part of Dad plan, isn't it?"
Death sadly nodded. She could feel Apollyon's blood boiling. There was no doubt Apollyon was angry. Very angry.
For the fallen angel who preached about how he wanted to make his family whole, this was a big slap in his face. A big slap and an even bigger middle finger.
"Whatever you are going to do Apollyon, I am going to look the other way."
"You are willing to disobey Dad for two lowly mortal souls?" He smirked. "You want to get yourself in trouble for such a little gain? For me?"
Maybe Death was more interested in him than he first thought.
"No. I will just tell him you overpowered me and there was nothing I could do." Death smiled. "Played a victim a bit and all the blame go to you, angel."
Perhaps not.
"You wicked bitch! … Haven't you reminded of so much of my twin sister, I would kiss you right now."
The conversation went silent after the fallen angel finished his sentence. Death turned away in disgusted.
And to hide a smile on her face.
"For the record. The answer is no. There is no gain in saving two human lives. I need something much bigger to make it worth defying Dad just for fun. Something like a planet worth of super soldier that could level an army on their own, or something. Perhaps I could unleash them on Apokolips to ruin Darkseid's day."
The Endless had to admit there was a funny side in how the fallen angel thought. He was quite charming in his own right. She started to like him. As a friend. She had enough craziness in her family. She didn't need another batshit-insane brother. Or worse, a bonkers boyfriend/lover.
"Now. Now. I gonna let you go and do your job. Just tell Delirium I say hi. Okay?" He blew her a kiss before vanished.
Once again Death rolled her eyes. She also blushed, but that's not important.
…
1999 A.D.
Nanda Parbat, Tibet
"I'm telling you, Rama. This Superman from Metropolis might be the one I'm looking for. He said he is a Kryptonian and you know what? Krypton orbits around a red sun called Rao. Everything checked out. All I need to do is to go and get his blood. Woohoooo!"
Apollyon was happy. He didn't do anything much and the answer revealed itself to him. It just took him about fifteen years of messing around doing other stuff to do so.
Fifteen years was not so different from a blink of an eye for a celestial being.
"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Slowdown, Apollyon. It said blood flow in those raised under a red sun." The patron goddess interjected.
While she was happy for the fallen angel, which in turn meant that he would not bother her much after his goal was achieved. She sure she would appreciate the quiet of Nanda Parbat once again. Still, she would be a bad friend not to interrupt him when he was clearly wrong.
"Well? I didn't see any problem here."
"Then let me spell it out for you, genius. Superman was brought up here. He was raised under a yellow sun. And Krypton, a planet that is 27 lightyears away, blew up 60 years ago! Superman was the last of his people."
Shit.
The fallen angel stopped dead in his track. Then he facepalmed himself.
"Before you throw a tantrum again. On the unrelated note. I want you to train someone in the art of combat. It's time for you to earn your keep." The patron goddess said with an adamant tone.
"You gonna charge me for being here? I thought we were friends."
"Well. A friend who constantly interrupted me when I worked and used my break for a free counseling deserved to be charged, Apollyon. Plus, you might take the liking to the boy."
"Oh. I doubt that." The fallen angel jabbed.
"His name is Bruce Wayne."
Apollyon face shifted. This was no doubt his father doing once again. He thought he acted on his own whim, but it seemed that was not the case. All the manipulation had led him to this.
Still, his anger was with Dad, not the boy. Young Wayne here was just a victim as much as he was. Maybe more. He was just a pawn in a game that he didn't know it was being played.
"Fine. But isn't he like 21 or something? Geeze, Rama. You're weird."
The fallen angel brooded for a while. He believed it was important for him to provide a good impression to his first student. Then he realized something.
"Wait a second. I can time travel. I'll train him when I'm back. See you later bitches."
"Mother F…" The patron goddess gave a half-way curse.
…
1900 A.D.
Krypton, Rao system, Andromeda Galaxy
Above the planet stood two being. One of them was a fallen angel, the other was the missing Endless, Destruction. A red hair entity with a magnificent beard. Ironically, the two entities supposed duty intersected and both abandon their jobs a long time ago, yet destruction continued to occur.
Apollyon had to admit, it was like looking at himself in a mirror. They were so alike in everything but power and appearance.
"Destruction. We meet at last. It's a pleasure."
"The pleasure is all mine. Fallen angel."
Both entities gazed down on the planet below. The planet that would soon cease to be. Krypton.
They were joined by another entity. One that supposed to be the most powerful in his pantheon, but his strength paled in comparison to the fallen angel or the Endless. His name was Rao and he was the Kryptonian god of light and life.
"Great one." Rao humbly asked. "It's an honor for both of you to come to witness this art."
"Art? You let this happen?" Questioned the fallen angel. This made no sense. Why did a patron god would let their worshiper die without doing anything?
The Kryptonian god went silent for a while before giving an answer. "Yes."
Then he collapsed with a fist size hole on his chest. The Kryptonian deity's eyes widen and shook in fear.
Apollyon was insensately furious. Something snapped inside him. His skin went marble white and blood seeped from his eyes. Just a mere glance made the Kryptonian god trembled.
"You have 20 seconds to explain before I annihilate you across all space and time."
"When I was young *cough*." Rao stopped to split blood out of his mouth. "Despair visit me. She gave me an idea for an artful creation. *cough*. Allow the planet to flourish, then let it be destroyed and made sure only one Kryptonian survives."
As soon as Rao stopped speaking, he received an eldritch blast to the face. It ate away his godly flesh, leaving only a void in its place.
"And you think that is a good idea?" Apollyon screamed. His eyes lit up with eldritch flame.
Apollyon tightened his fist and rushed in for more, but his fist was blocked by Destruction. He glared at the Endless only to see the same eyes glaring back at him.
"Stand down, Angel. Killing Rao will make thing worse. Without him, this system will lose its sun. Everything in the system will die."
Their eyes locked for a whole minute before the fallen angel relented. His appearance went back to normal.
"Go. Do what you come here to do. I will deal with this dipshit."
"This is not over." Apollyon engulfed himself in hellfire before descended to Krypton.
…
Krypton was about to blow up. Its population was in panic aside from one. A scientist named Jor-El. He was the only one among his colleagues that saw it coming. He tried to warn all of them, making them taking percussion, but his warning fell on deaf ears. The devastation had come, and it was too late to save the planet.
He was running a final check on his last project. A rocket that would send his newborn son to a faraway planet. It was the last thing he could do. He took his wife's hand, pulled her close, and gave her a final kiss. At least they would be together toward the end. His life was completed. He was ready.
Or that what he thought before a pissed off angel emerged behind them. The scientist and his wife screamed like a little girl.
Whatever intimate moment they had before, it was all gone.
"Oh, right. I forgot all of you guys are about to die."
"What in the name of Rao are you?" A question was panickily asked in Kryptonian.
"Don't bother to invoke that idiot name. He let your planet be destroyed for the sake of a fucking art." The fallen angel answered in perfect Kryptonian.
"Who …" Jor-El's question was cut short as the fallen angel put his index finger over the scientist's mouth.
"I'm the angel of destruction. You will stop asking and start answering my question if you want to save your planet. Understand?"
"What …" Jor-El's question was cut short once again when the fallen angel choked him with the same hand. A little bit more and his windpipe would be crushed.
"Understand?" Apollyon yelled. For a split second his fallen form was shown. It was terrifying enough to convince the scientist to obey him.
"Jor-EL!" The scientist's wife cried. Apollyon brushed her off with his wing. The hit was strong enough to knock her unconscious.
"Yes." Jor-El frighteningly answered.
"What is causing this planet to explode?"
A question was asked. Five minutes later, Apollyon regretted making it so vague. The scientist gave him an answer that he didn't understand about half the words it contained. And it didn't seem to stop anytime soon. This was getting nowhere.
"Okay. Okay. Enough." He broke the conversation. "You're telling me." He paused. "That the planet core is unstable?"
"Yes."
"If the core is stable again, the planet will be saved right?"
"Yes."
"Next time. Just skip all the scientific nonsense. Well, there will not be next time when I got what I came for."
The fallen angel's eyes lit up with a bright blue right. The tremor stopped. Krypton's core was stabilized again. The entire planet cheered. They praised a god that wanted them to die for an artistic purpose. If that wasn't irony, he didn't know what is.
"What did you do?"
"Of course, . I stabilized the core."
"How?"
"Divinity and reality manipulation. Don't think much about it. It probably too much for you to comprehend." The fallen angel adjusted his shirt. "Now, about what I came here for. I need your blood. For a greater good, of course."
The fallen angel grabbed a glass and filled it with Jor-El's blood that he drew. Satisfied, he gave a sinister smile. Mission accomplished.
Then another tremor rocked the entire planet. This one was far more destructive than before. Apollyon eyes dilated as he knew what happened. There was no doubt. He changed reality and his father disagree.
"Dick move, Dad. This is a bullshit level dick move."
"What happened? You said you stabilized the core." The scientist screamed. He looked at the fallen angel face just to see a sadden eyes.
"I got overruled." Apollyon painfully answered. "My condolences, Mr. El. The planet can't be saved. I'm sorry."
With that, Apollyon disappeared.
Krypton blew up soon after. Its destruction threw everything out of orbit. Billion of lives were lost in an instant. The fallen angel silently cursed his father for it.
Apollyon noticed two spaceships flew pass him before Krypton fell. Seeing it doomed trajectory, he guided it toward Earth. It's the least he could do.
…
1999 A.D.
Nanda Parbat, Tibet
"Time travel. Never fucking again." Apollyon cursed as he returned to the present. His face was grimed. He just saw the entire planet blew up after all.
The fallen angel soaked the tetrahedra in Jor-El's blood he brought back. The Enochian rune glowed with power. Finally, the seal was broken.
Out of it came a … compass? It's a compass in a gyroscope. It could turn in 3 dimensions.
"Is this a fucking joke?" cursed the fallen angel.
"I beg your pardon?" A young man with black hair
"Ah. Mr. Wayne. Err. Sorry. I didn't notice you're here."
Apollyon crushed the compass with his bare hand. Instead of being shattered in pieces, it burned his flesh. Intrigued, the fallen angel raised his eyebrows. Then he shifted his gaze to the boy. Then back to his hand.
"Sod it. I gonna deal with it later." The fallen angel recomposed himself. "So. Mr. Wayne. Are you ready to learn the art of war from the one that helps invented it? Or should I call you, Batman?"
…
2004 A.D.
Hidden Location, Gotham
Apollyon couldn't believe the day would come. The compass from the tetrahedra that he crushed five years ago appeared in his hand again. Its hand gleamed with power and point to a specific place in Gotham. It was a hideout. A sort that criminal would be there to hide from the city's Dark Knight.
Still moved unseen, he entered the hideout through the window of the upper floor. There, he found a blonde little girl crying. She was no older than 9. A pathetic sight to behold for sure.
Normally, he would not feel any sympathy for this pitiful mortal. Somehow, this one made him want to pat her head and told her it would be okay.
He moved closer and bent down to her level. It was there that he looked into her eyes and found a pair of dark gray iris looked back at him.
"Oh. You can see me." Apollyon said in surprised. The compass that led him here pointed straight at her. "Interesting."
…
And that Chapter 4 folks. I think this is what I gonna write for this month. Now I must continue the dark and morbid story for my Adventure Time fanfic project.
See you again next year (Jan 2019). Have fun guessing who the girl is.
P.S. If anyone wants to be a beta reader for this story. Feel free to PM me.