XCII
Damned
As Bruce Wayne opened the door to the new war room, he was greeted with a cacophony of passionate conversations, many of the generals in heated discussions with their foreign counterparts. It was evident that they had been busy during his first public speech as an acting president and were now trying to get the world onside with his plan. He pulled aside a few who were not in conversation and stepped back into the relative quiet of the hallway.
"I need a status update. Where are we the other countries? Give me the problem ones first…"
"…China is refusing to answer our calls, sir. Their battleships are marshaling in the South China Sea. We believe they are preparing a nuclear strike."
" …Russia is also preparing a nuclear option. However, they have assured us they will not strike unless directly threatened."
"The United Arab Emirates are mobilizing their air force… We believe they will launch within an hour."
Another general stuck his head out the door, a look of panic on his face…
"… Sir! We have confirmation!…Bialya now has fighters in the sky over Kahndaq! Their leaders are not responding…"
"Do we have visuals? Are they attacking Big Red?!"
"Hold on, I'll open my screen…Bringing up visuals now… They have already engaged the smaller demons closest to their border, but there seems to be another squadron flying directly towards Big Red, sir."
"Damn it… Is there any way to stop them?"
"… Not in time."
Bruce breathed a heavy sigh. It was obvious he was not going to be able to prevent all nations from launching an attack against Trigon. He needed to get a hold of President Rashid before the entire world paid the consequences.
"General, get Bialya back on the line. Tell them this President needs to talk to President Rashid immediately."
"Yes, sir."
It took two minutes of demands, threats and being passed along to various underlings but Bruce was finally able to get Rashid on the screen…
"Mr. President, you're making a grave mistake. You are placing the world at risk. Do not attack that large, red demon."
"…You are not Luthor."
"Lex Luthor is dead. I'm the new acting President, Bruce Wayne."
"Lex Luthor gave the Kahndaqi a nuclear weapon which he exploded upon their soil… before he could move it onto ours. Lex Luthor then killed every man, woman and child in Kahndaq, even their dogs lie dead in the streets. All because that fool Muhannad listened to Luthor. And now the Americans have brought Satan to my border and you ask me not to defend myself?..."
"Yes, Mr. President. I'm asking you to join the world for when we launch one final attack upon this threat. Provoking him now will mean certain death."
"Only Allah holds that power, Bruce Wayne. That is Who dictates the laws of Bialya, not Americans and not the Prince of Devils."
"Rashid… We fight the enemy of man. Give us time to join your troops against the Adversary. We are mobilizing our fleet…"
"It is too late, Bruce Wayne. Even now my F-22's have deployed their missiles. Satan will not find us a willing victim…"
With Rashid still on his screen, Bruce carried the glimmering hologram across the threshold, stepping inside a much quieter war room. All eyes were now glued to the large 'Trigon-screen' at the front of the room while other screens displayed the Bialyan squadron as icons over Kahndaq. Everyone was now aware of the situation. President Rashid continued confidently as everyone stood transfixed…
"…We will not submit to the Evil One. We will not ally with a Nation of Lies. Bear witness to our vict…"
President Rashid disappeared.
The digital icons of a squadron of F-22's disappeared.
No missiles struck Trigon.
Out of the corner of his eye, Bruce caught Trigon make a back-handed motion in the air, as if inadvertently brushing aside an annoying fly, when Rashid disappeared.
The room stood instantly silent…
And then the four fiery eyes of Trigon stared through the wi-screen directly at Bruce, who could feel the glare of doom upon him, the same cold, grip of dread as before…
The bane of existence spoke.
In an echoing voice heard around the world, magically translated into words seven billion people could understand, the demon's powerful voice cast itself simultaneously around the globe, causing the world to stand still and take heed as every human listened to the words of Trigon.
"People of Earth… I am Trigon the Terrible, a stranger upon your shores. As much as I enjoy painting your moon, you need not sacrifice yourselves so willingly. If Trigon were but only to will it, before even a mother's tears could leave her eyes, all life upon this planet would perish.
Further attacks upon me will only result in your death. I am a power your paltry race could not dare to imagine possible. I have destroyed countless worlds, much greater than your own. And with each world destroyed, I have grown in power…
But I am not here to destroy… I am here only to take back what is mine. My daughter… my lovely Raven was stolen from me. Stolen by a man… A man who believed he could take from a god and not face its wrath. Stolen by Bruce Wayne.
Give my daughter, the cow-of-a-woman who birthed her, and this foolish mortal back to me by the time your sun's first rays shine upon these sands and Trigon may spare your lives. My daughter Raven, her mother Arella, and the man who dared to take her… Bruce Wayne. The fates of three lives versus seven billion. Surely these terms are reasonable. I await your answer, people of Earth. Weigh your choice carefully."
Without anyone touching it, the wi-screen of Trigon blinked and closed. Every pair of eyes in the room slowly turned to Bruce Wayne, some accusingly, some with cold calculation, and others with pity. By the gravity in those stares, he knew he would be delivered to Trigon. Bruce immediately addressed the crowd.
"Book me the fastest flight we have. I'll answer him personally."
"… Sir, you said the cavalry is on its way, correct? There's still time."
"I want to be there when they arrive. I'll be leading this attack from the field."
"Then the Saints be with you, sir."
"Let's hope I get more than just saints." Bruce smiled at the men and women who had accepted him, however briefly, as their leader. "Remember the rules of engagement while I'm gone. Oh, and Mr. Okama, did someone manage to locate the antidote for Luthor's truth serum?"
"We did, sir. Talia al Ghul is recovering in the infirmary but will be retained for questioning when she fully recovers. Georgia Sivana is also being detained."
"I would like to take Talia with me."
"Sir, she's a known member of the League of Assassins!"
"Yes she is. But she has some insights that may be useful. We need all the help we can get. Rule number four."
"Yes, sir."
A knock at the door and then a man in a white lab coat entered the war room under military escort. His cheeks were flushed and he was breathless… A government scientist. It was obvious he was panicked.
"I'm sorry… it's the moon…it's red."
Bruce could hear the indignation of the crowd, some whispering crude words at this barging scientist who opened up a large screen at the front of the room… in the same place that the one of Trigon had only just been. Bruce raised his hands to quiet the crowd. The scientist spoke.
"…These images you see are from the Hubble telescope. We thought you should all see this… just to know." Bruce couldn't be sure, but he thought the man may be crying.
They saw the image of the moon… and it was a muddy, red color, different from any he had ever seen. It looked almost… supernatural. And then the man zoomed in closer… and closer…
Something was wrong. There was debris on the moon…
The horror of the situation ripped the air from their throats. All at once, they knew where President Rashid and the six-and-a-half million citizens of Bialya had gone…
Countless corpses were sprawled across the surface of the moon, many still dressed in the robes and clothing of the Arabic country. Their bodies looked almost freeze-dried, thin skeletal blue things - all internal fluids had boiled from their desiccated remains in the cold vacuum of space.
It was the frozen globules of their blood that floated highest above them that gave the moon its crimson shade, a floating sanguine canopy that would not conceal the horror below. With a simple flick of his wrist, Trigon had destroyed Bialya for daring to oppose him.
As much as I enjoy painting your moon…
From across the world, Bruce felt Trigon smile and fought to hold onto his sanity as he began to comprehend the power that awaited his arrival...