Sorry for skipping a week, or however long it's been, and sorry for posting so late today. I literally haven't had time to write lately, and I didn't want to just throw this chapter together in ten minutes. I really hope you like it, I actually edited this one which I haven't done in a while. Let me know what you think in the reviews, or pm me!
A red haze hung in the air, columns of fire and smoke covering everything in ash. Everywhere Mallory looked, there was violence, desperation, bodies left to rot after starvation or disease. Lines of people chained together being whipped down the streets, soldiers on giant dogs barking orders at the slave drivers, and all of those hellish sights paled in comparison to the smell. Apokolips smelled like filth, rot, decay, cremation. It smelled like misery.
This was her legacy, the pain, torture, and agony of an entire planet, her intended purpose to spread this legacy across the universe. It made her sick to her stomach, made the intensifying fire within her feel wrong, perverse. Made her skin crawl even as she felt her connection to the place grow with every step she took. This was what Inferno was, all she was ever meant to be. The messenger of Darkseid, his harbinger of death and destruction and fear.
She ripped the mask off her face, clawed at the triangle she had once worn so proudly. For too long she'd been an unknowing pawn in a chess game between the Light and Darkseid, and even Batman, but no more. She refused to play by their rules any longer. If she was going to be on the board, then she would play to take them both out, even if it meant taking herself out in the process. That was why she soaked in every ounce of power, no matter how dirty it made her feel. She needed all the power she could get for what she needed to do.
The soldiers at the boomtube hadn't been a problem. They'd been so focused on the sudden opening to Earth that they'd barely paid attention to the flaming figure that created it. Or maybe they just didn't think one person could do much damage. Either way, she used the ignorance to her advantage and pressed on, blindly searching for a clue that would lead her to Darkseid. It wasn't long before an answer blocked out what sun made it through the filter of ash in the sky. A building sat on a hill, spiked fences and soldiers around it. It was shaped like a helmet, with doors where the jaw would stick out and balconies made to look like spikes on the sides. It wasn't the building itself that caught her attention, though, but rather the statue standing in front of it.
It was at least six stories high, and so detailed that she almost expected the man it featured to take a breath and walk off its pedestal. The face was hard, with eyes that seemed to pierce into the very thoughts of everyone around, and as high as it was, it could probably be seen from anywhere in the city.
She was contemplating destroying it when a commotion drew her attention back to the bomtube she'd come from, and she realized that it was closing. Another time, she might have felt a wave of fear at being trapped on another planet without backup, but now she just narrowed her eyes in resignation, a small part of her relieved at the development. There was no turning back now. There never had been.
Her skin prickled at the sensation of a strange heat source and she dove to the side on instinct, her body knowing what to do before her concussed brain could put the thoughts together. A strong laser shot inches from her neck and hit the statue behind her in a spray of rubble. She gasped, her heart rate doubling as she looked up and spotted the source of the shot.
A man hovered above her, disks beneath his feet. His suit was black with red accents, his helmet balanced two horns on either side of his head, and he carried a sword with large barbs at the tip. He rubbed a hand over his dark goatee, his eyes seeming to shine through the black lining them. "Welcome home, my lady," he called tauntingly. "Let me show you a proper greeting."
He raised the sword to shoulder level, the blade shining white, and Mallory dove again, arching her back to fly around the leg of the statue. The laser clipped the stone right behind her and she flipped in the air, flying through the spray of pebbles and rocketing right towards her opponent. One carefully aimed fireball took out one of the disks beneath his feet, tipping him off balance, and she grabbed his flailing wrist, twisting until she felt it crunch. The sword fell from his grip to the sound of his pained cry, a stray shot nearly taking off his leg when it hit the ground. She jerked him out of the line of fire at the last second, not looking as the statue's elbow broke from the larger stone and crumbled on the base.
Her opponent's eyes shone brighter, a smile breaking through the grimace on his face. "I thought you'd be better."
Rage bubbled from her core, barely contained by her determination to save her anger for the person it was meant for. Still, fire flared from her exposed eyes and she tightened her grip on her prisoner's broken wrist. "Where is Darkseid?" she demanded.
He cocked an eyebrow, seemingly amused at her anger. "Surely you don't expect me to tell you anything. I was hand-picked and conditioned by Lord Darkseid. Whatever your darkest imaginings, I have experienced far, far worse."
Mallory studied his face, her own staying blank as she took in the scars, the dark excitement in his eyes, the way he breathed normally despite the grinding of his bones beneath her fingers. "I believe you," she said finally, and released him in the same breath. A surprised yell escaped his mouth, but she flew away before he hit the ground. The one disk would help soften his fall, and he wasn't worth her time.
She went right to the helmet building, collecting a fireball the size of her torso and sending the concentrated flames to the side of it. The bricks collapsed on contact and she flew through the gaping hole, lighting her eyes to adjust to the dimness within. The first thing she registered was the torture equipment lining the walls. The next was that she wasn't alone. She sprayed a line of fire along the opposite wall, the flames taking on a life of their own and illuminating the two figures across the room, both of which she had reason to hate.
"Well, child, you finally figured it out, did you?" Granny asked, her voice thick with mock sweetness. Desaad stood beside her silently with the same unnerving smile that she's seen a hundred times in her nightmares. She didn't feel fear now, though. She walked towards them, every step growing the fire in the room. "Oh, come now, Pumpkin. You aren't mad at dear old Granny, are you?" the old woman asked. Mallory still didn't give her a response, but her skin tingled with the memory of the pit and her teeth ground together. "Here," Granny continued, an evil grin stretching the wrinkles on her face, "have a seat!"
She pulled her electrified stick from beneath her cape and shoved it onto the hero's chest before the pyrokinetic could react to it. Jolts of current shot paralyzed all but Mallory's agonized screams, and Granny pushed her backwards, shoving her into the chair at the head of the room. "Turn it on," she told Desaad, never taking her eyes or her weapon off the hero. "This girl needs some… correction."
Even through the blinding pain coursing through every nerve in her body, the chuckle the scientist ground out sent a shiver down Mallory's spine. She heard the snap of a lever and then the chair beneath her began to morph. Ankle and wrist clamps sprang into place despite the empty air beneath them, the seat tightened slightly, and a plate began to descend towards her head.
Gretchen chuckled darkly, a crazed look in her eyes as she watched the red head struggle to get away from the device. Mallory's eyes rolled past the woman in front of her, catching on her own fire still burning along the wall, flickering and jumping violently in response to her writhing in the grip of the electricity. The machine above her crackled, a new current reaching for her, and she sucked in a breath despite the burning in her diaphragm, the oxygen fueling her channels within and reigniting her eyes, low flames licking her black irises like embers on coal.
With all her muscles tensed in the current's grip, she called to the flames with her mind, her fingers twitching open to pull them to her. They leapt across the room in an orange and yellow wave, wrapping around their maker and Gretchen before the woman knew to turn around. She screeched at the sudden rush of heat, dropping her weapon to beat at the fire catching on her hair and suit.
Mallory slumped to the floor as the plate continued to descend, her muscles continuing to twitch after the constant tension. She gasped for breath and rested her head on the ground, closing her fist against the stone floor.
The fire backed off the villain and Granny sighed in relief. "Oh, you know Granny means well, girl. Just–" A flaming fist rushed her face, cutting her off and making her take a step back. She tripped on the base of the chair, falling into it just as the plate finished lowering. Mallory closed her eyes against the blood curdling screams and the scent of burning hair, focusing instead on her breathing, on the stone beneath her fingertips, picturing the pain passing by in her mind, just as she had learned when she used to overuse her powers.
Sixteen seconds, sixteen waves, and she stood. Granny was babbling gibberish, the machine having done its work, so she set her glare on the only other person in her way. The only light in the room was her eyes, and the flaming footprints she left behind as she walked up to Desaad. "Where. Is. Darkseid?"
Still no fear crossed the scientist's face, only a disturbing pride and satisfaction, like an artist admiring his finished work. "You will find him in his throne room, my lady. He is waiting for you."
She flamed up in a burst and flew out the room, her eyes piercing through the darkness as she followed a heat source calling her further into the building. The hall was shorter than she remembered, and when she kicked the doors off their hinges, nothing but a stone bridge and a moat of fire separated her from the cold stone dais, and the god that was seated on it. She froze, taking him in. He looked like he had risen from the very rock the planet was made of, he was nearly twice the size of Superman, and an almost serene calmness blanketed his face.
"So, the prodigal daughter returns."
His voice was a deep, authoritative rumble. She ground her teeth, her arms shaking with the effort of containing her powers. She refused to be provoked, so she took slow, deliberate steps forward. He stood when she was halfway across the bridge and she stopped, watching him carefully.
"Twice now, you have come to me. I am starting to think the efforts I spent trying to find you were a waste." Still, she said nothing, her jaw aching from clenching her teeth to keep her face blank. "You weren't ready the first time. Far too unstable, far too weak, so I allowed you to return to Earth with the Superboy. I kept an eye on you, though. If Granny hadn't failed me," his eyes flashed with a fire all too familiar, "you would be at my right hand now, leading the attack on your adoptive world."
Her hands tightened to fists, but her lips pressed together firmly. She would not react. Darkseid took a few steps closer, a provoking smile coming to her face. "Do you have nothing to say to your father?"
A flash of fury shattered her resolve. "You're not my father," she snapped. "Your son killed him back in Metropolis."
The man shook his head. "Kalibak. Very rarely he makes it apparent that he is blood."
"He killed my father," she repeated, the words hisses through her locked jaw.
"You are better for it." The shock of the statement sparked a new anger, stoking the inferno within. "One less miniscule being to have an attachment to. You are playing on a higher level now, Inferno. You are on the plane of gods now."
"Fine," she ground out, her voice so low she wasn't sure it made it anywhere but her own ears. "If you're a god, then I'll be a god-killer." She reached out with each hand, her fingers already laced with the fire below, and they rushed at Darkseid in a flood, pressing into him from every angle. She pushed on it harder, but he stood in the flames calmly, watching her.
"Was this your entire plan?" he asked.
"I'm just getting warmed up," she shot back, her eyes glowing bright as she slipped into her strength and brought a foot down on the bridge. A spiderweb of cracks shot out from the force, and one more stomp had the structure crumbling, the two figures it supported plunging down into a lake of fire. Darkseid fell fast and hard, but Mallory caught herself midaire, lowering herself slowly, soaking in the flames and gathering them around her body. She watched as he got back to his feet, and she finally let her rage flow to the surface. She charged at him, throwing every channel wide open as she attacked his throat, eyes, chest. She tapped into her strength more than she ever had before, her gloves shredding on his hard skin and leaving her knuckles bloody, the tops of the bones exposed. She didn't care, though. She barely felt the pain, barely felt any of the pain she should have had. She felt like she was in a fog, everything seeming to blur around her.
The haze lifted sharply when Darkseid, who had been calmly taking the hits, suddenly grabbed her fist. Her eyes widened and she looked at the damage she had done. There was a small crack on his lip and jaw, and fire leapt from his eyes.
"You dare strike me, girl?!" he roared, squeezing her hand in his. She could feel the bones protesting, but he didn't stop. Tears squeezed out of her eyes and a pained cry escaped her mouth as she went down to her knees, her other hand trying desperately to loosen his grip. He backhanded her face and she hung her head, the blow making the waves in her head come back. "After all of these years of waiting, you disappoint me," Darkseid told her, still not loosening his hold on her fist. She could barely hear him through the blood rushing past her ears, pressure building from her fighting nausea. "You show the arrogance of fools, to face me and think you have a chance at victory." She lifted her chin and struggled to get to her feet, and the hand came down on her cheek again, harder. She choked down the yelp this time and pushed off the ground, struggling to get off her knees. "Still you defy me," Darkseid noted, displeased but not surprised.
She looked the god in the eyes, flames bursting from her own. "I will always fight you. You're a monster, and I will find a way to end you."
A slow smile came to his face. "Hmm, ever the hero, just like your companions. Perhaps you'd like to see what's become of them." He pulled a fatherbox from his belt, pointing it in front of them, and dragged her through the boomtube, throwing her down on uneven rocks. She froze, her back throbbing, her chest aching, her hands stinging, but the ruler of Apokolips didn't give her a chance to recover. He pulled her up by her hair, forcing her to look down the mountain at a city she didn't recognize, where parademons were circling buildings and members of the League were trying to control the chaos. She watched a swarm of the flying pests attack Hawk Woman, the airborne dogpile plummeting down once the Thanagarian was overpowered.
"No!" Mallory reached out to her, but she was too far away.
"That's one down," Darkseid said, his voice booming against her ear. Another boomtube opened and he threw her in without ceremony. She landed hard on metal and tried to crawl away, but her captor was behind her in a second, one foot pressing down on her back, pinning her to the tank. "Look at your colleagues," he demanded, forcing her to face the fight, where Green and Red Arrow, Canary, and Arrowette were concentrated around a group of civilians, fighting a losing battle against a hoard of soldiers. "They will die of their own stubbornness."
Another boomtube brought them to Gotham, where the Bats, the Outlaws, and Rachel were spread out. They were doing better than the Arrows, but their success could only last so long. Tim was being stretched by two parademons, and Dick was grabbed trying to free him. Damian shoved Rachel down and drew his sword, a soldier impaling himself from above and landing on top of the two, pinning them down. "Or perhaps they can be repurposed," Darkseid continued, opening yet another portal. "Some of them could be assets to my armies, if their loyalties can be reprogrammed to me."
He threw her into a more familiar area, her arm hitting something hard before she rolled off the Daily Planet globe and hit the roof, gravel biting into her exposed skin. She could hear screams even as high as she was, though she wasn't sure if they were from people on the streets or her own mind. Night had fully fallen, and not a single light illuminated the desperate fights in the streets. The city that never slept was as dark as a cemetery, and still it called to her, its need never greater.
She shoved herself to her feet, took one step towards the edge, and Darkseid grabbed her by the scruff of her jacket, holding her off the ground. "Or maybe it will be easier to just kill them. Yes, that will be the fate of most. Take a look, Daughter, and say goodbye. By sunrise, it will be over. The streets will be bathed in the blood of all who oppose me, your heroes' heads will be put on stakes and paraded in front of my armies, and you, Inferno, will be leading the victory march. You will be set loose on your adoptive planet to strike the fear of Darkseid into its people." He paused for a moment, basking in the moment. "Still nothing to say?" She stayed quiet, and he opened the boomtube again, carrying her back to Apokolips. "You still believe you are the hero to pull Earth from its doom?"
She smiled, the split in her lip stretching painfully. "Yes, I am."
She slipped out of her jacket, landing in a crouch. In the same motion she grabbed the fatherbox and swung around to Darkseid's back, wrapping her arms around his middle and pushing hard, shooting flames from her feet until they both left the ground, rocketing forward. The wall barely slowed them down, and she used her enemy as a shield against the bricks. Still, she didn't stop. In a blink, she had pushed him through the middle of the statue, the torso crumbling down behind them. He reached back, grasping for something to grab on her, and she released him, shooting flames from her hands at the same time to propel herself backwards and out of his grasp. He let out a frustrated yell as he fell, the arm of his own statue crashing down on top of him when he hit the ground.
Barely five seconds went by before he pushed the chunk of rock off of himself, new spiderweb cracks spreading through his forehead and cheeks, but he still had laser focus on the hero hovering above. His eyes began to glow bright red and she glanced at the fatherbox in her hand, her mind working out a plan in the few seconds of calm she had been granted. She could leave, part of her reasoned. She could go back to Earth, or anywhere else in the universe. Darkseid yelled again stretching her name out to the sky, and she made her decision, the only one she was ever going to make.
She dove down, bringing down the remainder of the monument as she went, watching with some satisfaction as the destruction rained down on the new god and he was forced to raise his arms to protect his head from the falling stones. She took advantage of his distraction and flew straight for him, one arm outstretched as she opened the boomtube in the ground right behind, sucking in a breath before slamming into him, pushing him through.
Silence greeted her, silence and stillness, finally allowing her to hear her own thoughts without the external stimuli overwhelming her swimming brain. Space. She'd brought them to deep space, no planets in sight, nothing in sight except an asteroid drawing them toward its gravity and a single star barely close enough to barely illuminate Darkseid's floating form in front of her, rubble from the statue floating around him like dark clouds.
He was glaring at her, his eyes still glowing red, but crystals gathered over the red before he could shoot his omega beams. Still, he didn't give up. He tried to grab her, struggling to get closer so he could rip the fatherbox from her stiffening hand. The breath she'd taken was running out, her movements slowing down. She knew, though, that she couldn't let go, not yet. If she died now, near him, he would just rip the fatherbox from her corpse and return the Apokolips, and she would have accomplished nothing with her sacrifice. She looked around at what she had to work with, her gaze landing on the asteroid. Hal had told her once that he had to be careful with these rocks because they could be filled with flammable gas. She just hoped her friends were right and their history with explosions was linked with her luck.
She reached for it, barely avoiding Darkseid's stone hand clasping onto her leg. She only had a little oxygen left in her lungs, she would need more than that to start a fire in space. She threw her channels open, pushing fire to her skin, throwing everything she had into growing the flames. Her lungs burned as they gave every molecule of oxygen to the effort, her heart felt like it would explode in her chest, and a chill like she'd never known began to creep through her from the inside out. She condensed the flames to a fireball and threw it at the asteroid, fighting to stay conscious just long enough to guide it, to see it catch. She strained through her darkening vision to watch the flames spread over the surface of the rock…and disappear.
She didn't have the air to scream, the awareness to feel more than a dull devastation at the failure or the energy to react to Darkseid's victorious grin or his final boost that had him coming straight for her, reaching out to her wrist. Her eyes were wide open, but her vision was darkening by the second, her body screaming in panic, fighting for life. His fingertips grazed her skin, so close to his goal, and the asteroid erupted without warning, the flare so bright it cut through the darkness cloaking her eyes, the force throwing the two figures apart violently. Her throbbing heart skipped a sluggish beat at the speed she was suddenly going, her eyes locked on Darkseid's spinning body as he hurtled out into the abyss.
Finally, she closed her eyes, a smile coming to her blue lips. She completed her mission, protected her world, her family, her home. The word floated to the front of her mind as a picture, the image calming her fighting body and enveloping her in a comfortable warmth. "Yes," she thought, suddenly more at peace than she'd ever felt before, white light trying to break through her lids, "I'm going home."
Where Fire Falls will (hopefully) return. More on that next week.