Chapter 119 : Worlds of nightmares
Author note : Hey guys ! First off, I'd like to recommend a story… Marvel : A reptilian adventure. Great work so far, and great story !
That said, here's the usual update : 2 new chapters on my Patréon page. One chapter of Reborn as Lex Luthor and one of Splinter's tale (still no relation to a rat in a kimono)
https://www.patre*n.com/user?u=66371596 or search for Cathbel on Patréon.
Enjoy !
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Prior Volthoom's arrival on the battlefield.
The Dark Knight was co-piloting Wonder Woman's spaceship while Constantine and Steel were manning the weapons. Their teamwork, despite their team being a very recent development, was pretty good, all things considered. They made mistakes, of course, things that almost put their lives at risk. However, it had to be pointed out that what they were facing… It was basically a single organism, like insects linked together by a hive mind. Maybe it was even worse : a single mind to command all the members of the third army like so many limbs.
The fact that they were mowing down their numbers was a testament to how good their teamwork actually was !
They made contact with the Green Lanterns and it was decided that they would reinforce the areas where the Lanterns were getting exhausted. It served to give them a bit of welcome reprieve. Unfortunately, the third army seemed to possess endless numbers…
On the other hand, the four Earthlings rejoiced at the arrival of other reinforcements… Like the colors of a rainbow, they came one after another. While none of them actually knew what they were or the story behind each of their corps, it was easy to see that the people who arrived wielded the same kind of weapons that the Green Lanterns did. Well… Actually, Constantine was aware of them and Batman had managed to gather some intel about them as well…
The both of them knew that, most of the time, the various lantern corps were at odds. As for the reason for it, while there may be ideological, personal or political reasons behind it, it all came down to one core reason : the nature of their rings' power. While all of them drew power from the Emotional spectrum, each color represented only one aspect of it. A feeling, an emotion that empowered them and that often contradicted another color and feeling. Much like the red of Rage clashed with the indigo of Compassion and pink of Love. Or the yellow of Fear opposed the blue of Hope and the green of Willpower.
Despite this, all the corps were now fighting a common threat, an enemy so dire that they had to bury the proverbial hatchet for a while.
The battle progressed. Ned Stark and Superman were fighting alongside the ship, with the Kryptonian keeping up with them. Ned Stark took the far rear and Batman wondered sometimes whether or not he belonged with them or not… Until he spoke a few words to give them the information that his sensors picked up when their own didn't.
That's what Ned Stark was about, really. At least, in Batman's mind. He was the one who revealed the danger posed by the Guardians before the Earthlings GL even knew of it. And he knew much more about space that anyone of them. He also knew quite a bit about magic, Earth's magical society and its rules, political climate etc…
Moreover, his Technomancy was pretty amazing as well, from what he could understand. The cannons he fashioned for the ship were cutting swaths of drones much more efficiently that the Green Lanterns did. Of course, Batman had noticed soon after they appeared that the Red Lanterns were doing just as much of damage. It was expected really…
As Batman helped Diana pilot the ship, he also mentally made a few notes of the more important members of the various corps. Their leaders, the humans among them, the best or more fearsome fighters.
He kept at it until, suddenly, the battle seemed to halt. The ship's sensors blared in alarm, indicating that a rift in space was opening. Out came a… humanoid silhouette, whose veins and organs were visible to the naked eye and shone the colors of the rainbow. The silhouette itself shone a sickening white light… And Batman felt, deep in his bones, a kind of danger he never felt before.
The Dark Knight had been in some sticky situations but rarely had he ever felt like running with his tail tucked between his legs… Until now.
And then, the monstrosity started to speak !
* * * * * *
Bruce Wayne found himself trapped in a nightmare world created specifically for him. Most of the time, he wasn't aware enough of what was happening to him to do anything about it. Only when Volthoom, for it was the name of his torturer, spoke, did he suddenly remember where he was. Unfortunately, knowing something and doing something about it were two completely different things. And Volthoom wouldn't allow for the latter.
At first, it started as a beautiful dream. His parents and he left the theater that night among the crowds of happy people. They made their way home safely, met back with Alfred Pennyworth. They never encountered the robber. His father never tried to fight the man carrying a gun. His mother was never shot, her pearl necklace remained untouched.
Bruce Wayne grew up to be a happy child, living among the elites and becoming friends with other children of rich parents. Because of his upbringing, he also developed a certain arrogance and a certain disregard for those below him.
Soon, he started to learn under his father in order to take over Wayne Industries in the future. He also discovered the dark side of business and that of his father. A different dark side that his own… And that's when the nightmare truly began.
* * * * *
Volthoom was positively intrigued by the half-Amazon demi-goddess. Not only was she one of the most attractive creature he ever laid eyes upon in his extremely long existence, she was also the closest to be considered his equal. She was mate potential… if only he could remold her out of her stubborn and goody ways.
Morals, ethics, rules and empathy, for beings such as them were mere crutches the mortals tried to use in order to bind them. Even the Guardians had chosen to discard them !
The woman was frozen, sending a chilling, and frankly arousing, glare his way. There was just something about her… Diana Prince, that was her name, he found out. She was… An experienced woman. Unlike most mortal Earthlings, she was a couple of centuries old, born from the Queen of the Amazons and the King of Gods. Both were immortals. While for the Queen, it was because their island had been blessed by Hera, the King of Gods was… Well, a god !
It was a delightful irony, a beautiful betrayal in a way… Hera, the Queen of Gods, had given an island to the Amazon where they could live free of Man forever, honing their skills throughout generations and ages. And their leader had lain with her husband… Whether she knew his identity or not however, was a mystery. After all, Zeus was known for a philandering and deceiving ways. Even Volthoom didn't know exactly how many maidens the god had impregnated without them knowing his true identity…
Volthoom decided that this 'Wonder Woman' would be his and so, he would give her special treatment. Now… What was he going to do in order to break this demi-goddess and make her his ?
* * * * *
Even Superman, despite all his powers, was left entirely helpless to fight against the First Lantern. In fact, in this new reality created by Volthoom, his powers and his identity as a Kryptonian never existed. He was still named Clark Kent by his adoptive parents, and lived in Smallville all his life. However, he was weak and nerdy, a prime target for the popular kids to bully. It was made especially easy given that his name was also the name of a popular comic book character, who unlike him, was immensely powerful and acclaimed.
When his father had his first heart attack, he and his mother waited, looking at his prone form. Clark noticed for the first time how his father, that he always considered a force of nature, was just a weak human like the rest of them.
A couple of years passed and Clark had to spend more time on the farm in order to pick up his father growing slack. The man, despite how stubborn he was, could no longer work as hard as he used to. Over the next few months, Clark grew more and more resentful and bitter.
He never wanted to become a farm boy, despite the kids at school calling him such. He wanted to do something with his life, perhaps become a reporter in an international newspaper.
With his father's last heart attack, it was almost a relief to learn that he wouldn't survive the night. Still, his father woke up and, on his death bed, he and his mother both admitted how they found him and what they did of his space ship…
Now assured that his place wasn't in some corn field in the middle of Kansas, Clark went in search of his spaceship, which he spent a few night digging out of the storm cellar. Once he opened it and he finally awakened his full Kryptonian heritage, things changed for the boy… He became the Man of Steel. And the Man of Steel would not be bullied !