CXXXVII
Discovered Heritage

In the infirmary, Raven smiled while Bruce's firm and comfortable grip assured her that her husband had indeed recovered – after all, this sudden sense of humour may have been nothing more than the after-effects of the sedatives from his ocular surgery.

"I do not believe my father is capable of warming up to anyone, Bruce… although his outlook has certainly changed. The vision he showed me within his soul was… terrifying."

Bruce stared at her seriously once more while he pulled her closer - now holding his wife in his arms. Even though he wasn't an empath like Raven, he could still sense her own mounting fear. The soul-to-soul meeting with Trigon had left her shaken.

"You know Fate can be changed. What he showed you was what may happen, not what will…"

"I know that miracles do happen... Our love is proof. But my father's warning rings true, Darkseid is an incredibly powerful force."

For all her life, Raven had dreaded her father. While she could never forgive him for the destruction he had wrought - all in the name of her unsuspecting sister – she could begin to understand a little of why he had believed it necessary. With every fiber of his resurrected being, Trigon believed in the Prophecy that had been revealed to him. Bruce felt her apprehension.

"Is the Prophecy of Stone so dire that it would drive Trigon to destroy the entire Universe, Raven?"

"Yes... All Freedom and Hope will become crushed before Darkseid's will until his rule is absolute… That is the Prophecy. If you were given the power to do so and knew it would happen, would you allow a doomed Universe to exist?"

Bruce did not hesitate in his response.

"Given that level of power, I would first stop Darkseid."

"As would I, my love… But He may be unstoppable. The prophecy may be unavoidable. My father believed this to be true... although he agrees that you seem to be outside of Fate's dictates. In a way, Darkseid reminds me of you… if you were an omnipotent God with a heart of stone."

"Well, I suppose I can be a bit of a tyrant…"

"No, not the tyrant part, my love… Darkseid is a revolutionary thinker like yourself. He places no limits upon himself and is continually aware... moving forward. He seems able predict events before they occur and places himself to his greatest advantage."

"I just hope it is preparation and not omniscience… You can't count out anything when you're dealing with Gods. But even if your father is predictable, he is also very powerful as well. And just because you're prepared doesn't mean you'll always win. Do you believe Trigon will confront Darkseid directly?"

"I have no doubt that he will. But I do not believe he can defeat him."

"I admit, Darkseid seemed incredibly arrogant, but Trigon has been gathering power for a thousand years. The best laid plans of mice, men and deities go often astray... Surely Trigon may be able to stop him."

"My father has spent the last thousand years destroying all life in the Universe so that he can avoid this conflict... He fears Darkseid."

Bruce exhaled unconsciously…

"Something that frightens Trigon… That is scary. Looks like we're in for a fight. What do you know of Darkseid? I keep wondering what he meant by 'invincible army'… Any ideas?"

Raven knew very little of Darkseid, but she filled Bruce in as much as she could… except the part of where the Great Tyrant wanted to marry her off to his son Kalibak.

"Darkseid is my uncle, the brother of my father and also the unchallenged ruler of Apokolips. Long ago, Darkseid loved a magical Goddess named Suli - whom my own father also lusted after and had an affair with. Each of the brothers fathered a twin daughter with her whom you have already met on Maltus; Zareah and Abraxas. Shortly after, Suli was murdered and my father was nearly bludgeoned to death in the Infinity Pit by the vengeful Darkseid.

The Infinity Pit gave Darkseid – and also my Father – the power of the Omega Effect. With this power they have absolute control over physical reality as we know it. I believe this is how my father and I are able to teleport vast distances…"

"Wait, you've inherited the Omega Effect?!"

She knew what he was thinking next.

"No, I can not shoot beams from my eyes, Bruce – nor would I want to – but it would explain how I am able to teleport myself and others. With the additional power of the Source that Trigon has harnessed, it would also explain how my father was able to extend that power and teleport so many innocent people to their deaths…"

Bruce suddenly held her tighter and stroked her long, ebony hair. He suspected that Raven had secretly blamed herself for all the deaths on Earth that her Father had engineered after his catastrophic arrival… That it had been her alone that had brought such an unrelenting force of death to their peaceful shores. Bruce knew nothing could be farther from the truth as he quietly whispered to her.

"Don't… How many worlds have you saved by standing up to him, Mrs. Raven Wayne? And who was it that prevented me from ending up as this planet's own version of Darkseid?

Do you think the notion that I could mandate peace and prosperity through the threat of the Engine of Destruction never even crossed my mind?... It did, Raven. Those were my exact thoughts the night when you came into my life… just after I asked God for a sign.

Fate didn't bring you to this world to jeopardize it… you were brought here to save it. And to save me…"

He felt her tears seep through his hospital gown and down onto his chest. She had saved him and this world already. She had stopped Trigon from pursuing his path of destruction and thus saved countless other worlds. And now she would now be called upon to save them all again from Darkseid… And Bruce would be by her side to do it. He wiped the tears from her gentle, indigo eyes as he longed to kiss away all her fears. She clasped his hand.

"I love you, Bruce Wayne. But even without me, you would have made the right choice regarding the Engine. You must never doubt this… there is too much love in your heart to believe otherwise. That is the true legacy of your own parents – the love they left in your compassionate heart that you still carry with you even now."

"They would have loved you… I know that. Just as I love you now… But I suppose we should figure out what to do next - before I use this very uncomfortable bed for something it was never made to do…"

Understanding his meaning, Raven grinned and gave her husband a conspirator's wink.

"Shall I levitate us again, my love? Or perhaps teleport us to our own bed?"

"I like this new you… but we'll have to postpone. I need to get these damned IV tubes out of me and rally the troops. If I'm going to be the acting President, I suppose I should act like one. I'd also like to see how Clark is doing."

"This is not new… I have always felt this way… I have only been afraid to act upon my desires due to my God-half emerging. But I warn you Mr. Wayne, should we survive, there will be no more postponing… Your only sleep will be the result of utter exhaustion.

But you're right, this is the time to plan and act. I also worry about our missing allies… Scott, Barda, Orion and Lightray did not journey to Earth to aid us. I fear that Darkseid has already began his campaign and that New Genesis may already be under attack."

Bruce considered for a moment.

"Then we should arrange a diplomatic mission to New Genesis immediately. Let's gather our Earthly allies and arrange a little trip, shall we? That would be a great place to start... But first, I really need to get out of this damned hospital gown!"

Author's Note:

No one likes hospital gowns… especially Bruce Wayne.

Also, Raven teleported back to Earth to help Bruce, Clark and Barbara in Kahndaq shortly before Scott and the other New Gods returned to New Genesis. She is not aware of Scott's sacrifice or the recent events there.