Chapter Twelve: Steel and Faith
Earth overturned as dirty white skin pushed through. Scarred masses of flesh snarled, focusing on me through the glaze of glassy black eyes.
"What about us?"
A black shadow fell from the sky.
HELP ME!
"I…" The words wouldn't come. Something stopped them short. "I…"
Rotting fingers grabbed my arms. Ripped apart the fabric and tore a hole through my hoodie's protection.
Breath like decayed fish washed over my face through a hateful wheeze. "Why not us?" whispered a woman's voice. "What did we do wrong?"
Mouths bit into my ankles. Tiny bodies hugged my midsection. Jesús! Alf grinned through the bleeding gash on his forehead.
"ALF! Wait! I'll heal you!"
A thousand voices screeched. "WHY NOT US?!"
The tomb before me opened. The earth rose as I struggled, fought against the growing mass of dead children.
"Deus!"
I jolted, my shoes hitting not softened soil, but hard tiles. The face before me was not a child's, despite the boyish worry. Clear, honest blue eyes met my gaze, helped me focus, forget the scent of dead flesh and the ringing of children screams. The lighting was drab, but that was expected. White light on white walls, with one large glass window letting in the sight of the inner courtyard. Two men in black on one end of the hallway, and one big, guy in red, holding me like he thought I was gonna fall to the floor.
"W-what?"
"You fell asleep, Deus," Captain Marvel said with a pat on my shoulder. "You screamed." Worry flashed in his eyes. "I'm guessing you didn't get much sleep recently?"
Swallowing, I wiped sweat off my brows. They'd asked us to wait in an adjacent room, and I'd… there had been chairs and the air had been warm, Captain Marvel was with me, so easy to rely on, and I had just… let myself fall.
"Nightmares," I breathed out, slumping in my seat.
The chair next to me creaked under a ton of muscle. "You mentioned that earlier. Same as before?"
Dead eyes flashed through my mind, asking the question again. With some effort, I swallowed. Little. The inside of my mouth had dried up throughout my nightmare. "I wish."
"Do you want to talk about it?" he offered, and I finally looked up. He… Captain Marvel held my gaze gently, an inviting smile on his face, judgment nowhere to be found in his features. He seemed like an old friend that just wanted to help.
"I… no. Not yet. Thanks anyway though."
His chuckle only sounded too real next. "The way I see it. I owe you one. For speaking up for me. I hadn't really thought… well, I figured nothing would come out of it, but things could have gone wrong too. Still, I'm glad you took my side. I thought," his voice dripped with longing, "I hoped some of my teammates would do it."
My hand found his. "You're a good hero, Billy. Better than a lot of people."
Never needed to be forced to help anyone.
Footsteps closed in on us.
"They will be receiving us now," Wonder Woman said, her gaze just stern enough that we both straightened.
With a calm hand, she gripped my shoulder. Not tightly, not with any sort of threat or warning. More… steadying, the sort of grip between warriors before a battle. "Deus Ex. I know my experience is not the same, but I wanted to warn you. Man's World has long since left behind the beliefs in gods walking amongst them. They will be skeptical. It will require convincing. A true resurrection is something both rare and precious, Deus Ex. There have been few recorded cases before your arrival. They will suspect trickery."
I nodded. "I understand, Diana. Though, in my own experience, once people know it is possible, they are quick to make the request."
Her head dipped slightly, acknowledging the point. "I can only ask you, humbly, that you give them a chance."
Something in my chest twisted. The respect in her words, in her tone, was evident, but so were the echoes of old accusations. Monster.
No. She wouldn't. Gods were nothing new to her. And if the Greek Gods of this universe were anything like the myths I knew…
Oh, I thought with a sinking feeling, that'll be a fun ride. Though maybe I could just try and seduce Zeus or something.
The stupid part of my brain protested in the most insignificant way: 'He looks too old on those sculptures!' Right. Right. He was only a top god with shapeshifting abilities, and a grade-S asshole of all times superdickery. But the way he looks was the first objection I had? Priorities.
"I will allow them to question me, Diana. That's why we're here instead of on a plane towards the nearest town."
She smirked knowingly. After a glance to Captain Marvel, she straightened, all the part of a warrior going to war, and led me to the door. Without further time to prepare myself, I entered.
Roughly two hundred diplomats stared down at me from atop their places in the amphitheater. Twice as many bodyguards – heroes, mercenaries, secret agents – detailed me. The scrutiny felt like the sky had dropped on top of me. The merest hint of weakness, they'd pounce. They would do anything to try and exploit me, take me down, subvert me. Anything and everything, except indifference. What were the odds that not a single one of them wasn't specialized in taking down beings of greater power?
Not afraid I'd put them all under my control, huh? I thought, then paled at that off-colored comment. My feet, already heavy and ungainly, scrapped against the carpet. Thankfully, I didn't trip on the small stairs leading up to the stage.
Breathing deeply, I ignored the giant seal of the UN on the wall behind me and stopped in front of the mic, my two companions on either side of me.
The spotlight shone brightly into my eyes, but couldn't obscure the crowd all waiting for me to speak.
God or Monster. Pick. Illusion or Truth. Pick. God or Monster. PICK!
How godly would it look if I vomited on stage?
Fuck's sake, it was easier to talk to the Justice League. At least, with them, I had the certainty that they would act with certain morals. Those people, I don't- I didn't know. And I suddenly had an uncomfortable flashback to a tent and a portable TV, and the droplets of sweat rolling off the side of a professor's head. Yeah. Fear of the unknown. Those people didn't strike me as the type to have an unbreakable code or a lifetime of devotion to a cause. No matter what, ready to put the needs of others above theirs? I wouldn't trust myself with that criteria.
"I think y'all for anschwering-"
Heat rushed to my face so fast I had to grip the podium not to sway. Christ! Perfect. Way to be credible! Everyone's favorite godling, ladies and gents. Someone shoot me.
"Sorry." I ran a hand over my mouth, with a frantic thought of EPIC BARD CLASS ELOQUENCE! "Admittedly, I should have rehearsed my speech more than just a few times in my head. Or, forbidding that, brought a paper version. A testament for diction classes." – A few polite laughs let me breath a sigh of relief. – "Let me try that again. I thank you all for answering my summon. I understand those are difficult times, for everyone. The Tragedy of the Two Earths knew no frontiers, acknowledged no sovereign. For the purpose of the monsters that performed the spell, each and everyone became a target, and thus, I beseech you to think of ways forward remembering that we were all affected and all wish a swift resolution that would allow the people of Earth to recover from this shattering grief."
The few laughs had died out. Tension had risen up again, but well, that was to be expected. Amongst them, had any of them lost some family? I searched through the faces, through the closed expressions and the guarded looks, through the curious looks. Was there one here, who had lost their child and was working towards justice for the innocents harmed by the spell?
I drank from a glass of water that had, until then, not existed. Without looking, I felt the slight shock in many members of the security detail.
"Many of you may not know me as anything but just another meta human. Most likely, I imagine you may have heard of me as the Joker's killer. The Miracle Man, The Wishmaker, The Saint of Crime Alley. The Tempter, too, by a few more religiously-inclined. Regardless, I suppose it gives the general idea. Please, call me Deus Ex." The Greek representative, a man weathered by age, muttered silently. The God In… The god in what? "I am a reality warper. Within a certain range, I can affect everything to my liking, not limited to merely the ordinary limits of magic, as I am certain some of you have heard of considerations in your respective governments. I can bring the dead back to life."
The expressions didn't change. Briefed, then. Could be good, could be bad. They wouldn't be caught flat footed, wouldn't be immediately skeptical if they had had time to evaluate what was being said and offered. Instead, the ball was in their camp.
A man in blue scale-like armor leaned forward, and on the tribune, the President of the assembly gave him right to speak.
"If you are so powerful," asked the Atlantean representative, "why have you not acted sooner?"
Something about that face…
It clicked, and I almost chuckled. The balls on that bastard. Prince Orm of Atlantis, second to the throne, though only for a scant few months. And a member of the Light. A mastermind of the tragedy sitting here, discussing the options for disaster relief.
I risked a glance back to Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. Diana's face seemed sculpted from steel, giving away nothing, and in that I found my best bet. Fine, I suppose Aquaman's still building up a case to imprison his brother. Probably wants to protect Atlantis' reputation, though if it managed to let one of its leaders…
I allowed myself a small smile. "Is that an invitation into Atlantean waters? I thought your king would have wanted me to ask beforehand. The US government is already after my ass for what I do in general, so…"
Reddening, the prince leaned back into his seat and crossed his arms. For a second there, he was a split image of his brother (half-brother?) and his true nature felt only more vile. A power-hungry kinslayer.
Curse of ill luck. Misfortune befalls you and only you. May you be the sole victim of this, and let it bring about your downfall, far from this hall, where your humiliation shall be the greatest.
None noticed the change in the air. Neither Wonder Woman, nor Captain Marvel, and certainly not Oceanmaster and his assistant. Perhaps if he had, he would not have bothered speaking further.
"You would flaunt the UN charters and the will of the people?" he asked, though he phrased it as a statement.
I stared. "Are you suggesting that the people would not want to see their children alive and healthy?"
A muscle in his jaw twitched. It deformed the condescending smile he was putting on. "Of course not, Deus Ex. I merely meant that our organization was put together in the hopes of fostering international alliances. We have signed, with the Justice League, a number of charters and treaties to ensure cooperation between the nations and our benefactors," he said with a nod to my companions.
Wonder Woman took a step forward, and I offered her the mic. "Thank you, Prince Orm. The Justice League understands the right of self-determination of nations. Deus Ex is a recent associate of ours and we wish to be the bridge between both sides. It is true that the Justice League has never requested such liberty before, but I plead with all of you to recognize that this sort of monstrosity strikes everyone. It may not be completely unheard of in the history of this world, but the solution we have put forth is. Never before have we had such chance to fix damages as widespread and devastating as this. If the motion is put forth, Deus Ex will be able to undo the need for long-term solutions concerning this disaster. We could put it behind us as nothing more than an example of international cooperation."
"Thank you, Wonder Woman," I said. "I have already participated in the arrest of the criminals in question. They are awaiting trial, I believe. But even if justice was rendered, there are too many victims to consider it enough. I- yes?"
A man I didn't recognize raised his hand.
"The tribune recognizes General Fang Zhifu," echoed from the President of the assembly.
With a nod in his direction, the General – a meta, definitely, his skin looked like bronze or copper – turned to me, hands held together. "Sir Ex, though my superiors and our Republic are inclined to believe you are a being of great power, we are curious as to your motives."
I could feel Wonder Woman's eyes on the back of my head.
"Is it not enough that I hate the wanton mass murder of children?"
The General's gaze burned with a dark intensity. "Yes. We could believe that much, Sir. However, our intelligence gathered your first appearance dating back to September. Surely, in this much time, there must have been other crises to catch your attention. What motivated you to ask for an audience with the UN now?"
Pregnant silence befell the room. It was a sound point, I knew. I had been expecting that much, and Orm had expressed something similar if with more slime. In their place, I would wonder. Was it a limit? A price to the power none had realized till then? Or had I hidden foul intentions beneath an offer none would be able to refuse?
"Wonder Woman, if you would," I asked, offering my arm.
Without hesitation, she stepped up and pulled out her lasso. The rope's golden glow sent flutters of butterflies to my stomach, the faintest hint of doubt whispering in my mind. Pressure circled my wrist, gentle. Like she'd put a watch on me.
Clearing my throat, I declared with the strength to carry through the room: "I do this for the sake of the broken families everywhere. I seek no dark gain from my actions. At most, I shall ease my conscience. More could have been done to prevent it and I wish to redress these wrongs."
"Can you lie under the Lasso's influence?" drawled the Bialyan representative.
The answer came before I could think about it.
"Yes. If I willed it, I could render the lasso's effects null and void. That is not the case at this point in time."
I distinctly heard Captain Marvel facepalm behind me.
Most of the bodyguards paled or reddened. General Zhifu's, however, narrowed her eyes and glared daggers at Wonder Woman.
"I say," began the Greek representative. "If the man can circumvent an artifact of the gods, there must be merit to his proposition. Few can flaunt the power of that artefact. It is considered a legitimate way to present proof, if not conclusive ones, in UN trials, after all."
"Can we be certain?" asked the French representative. She stood up, waving away the President's warning. "Tall tales have been spoken, but resurrections on records can be counted on two hands, at best. Most beings of great power do not bother to meddle with humans, it seems."
"Yes," I answered, focused entirely on her. "Files should have been distributed to you, of judicial records from Gotham City. Over the past few weeks, a number of people have filed for correction of legal status of deceased family members or friends. Hospital records match their identification and genetic history."
"Recent scientific breakthrough suggest" – and there, she glared hard at the American representative – "that cloning intelligent beings has become a very real possibility."
I failed to recognize the man in the suit, but I was utterly unsurprised by his nonchalant shrug. "I could not possibly comment on matters of scientific research, Isabelle."
"We know your agency was the one breaking into the Élysée's Center, don't you da-!"
"ORDER!" The President brought down the hammer. "We will have order! Those trying times do not excuse this behavior! This is the United Nations! Our emergency assembly has a single purpose and that is to discuss the merits of the metahuman Deus Ex's proposal."
"If it's proof you need…" I began, steeling myself. "Then I ask that the honorable diplomats of the United Nations follow me outside in the parking lot."
The Amazonian ambassador raised her hand. "I second the motion. Discussion will not bring us closer to a decision at this rate. Let him demonstrate his power."
A chorus of accord rose through the amphitheater. There was only so much patience for squabbles when the hour was do dreary. It was only because I kept my eyes on him that I saw that the Bialyan's mouth twitched with minute displeasure.
As the seats began to empty, Diana led Billy and I outside the room, obviously more familiar with the building than her colleague. It took only few minutes to get outside, with most of the assembly either in front or behind us.
But when the doors opened, I noticed the crowd of civilians outside the security perimeter had not diminished in the slightest. Signs were held up, angry questions or heartfelt pleas splattered on them in ink.
The crowd's roar was an indistinct sort of noise, a wounded beast's mourning cry.
"Deus Ex?" Diana asked when she noticed me staring.
"It'll just be a minute," was all I told her before warping at the gates, in front of the line of security agents.
They tried to cry out a warning or an order, but I tuned them out as a bunch of hands started to grab me.
"My daughter, Miracle Man, please, they said-"
With as much gentleness as possible, I placed a hand over the woman's mouth. "I will. That's what I came here for today. Just wait a little longer." Power rushed to my throat, and my next words echoed loud above the beast's cry. "Everyone! Please, just be patient! I will help out."
Peace. Comfort. Good health for good measure.
Faces replaced faces and hands replaced hands. I smiled blandly as too many for me to register simply tried to touch me, to catch my attention a few seconds longer. I could only go through the motion, offering what little blessings crossed my mind. One woman became another, then a man, then another and another and another, always a picture of desperation or hope. Always looking at me like I was seen-through.
The inside of a ring tried to poke through my skin. A little pressure broke the thin needle.
My smile didn't change as I shook the man's hand. Perhaps my hand squeezed a little harder though, and my eyebrows rose. It wiped the fake look of gratitude from the man's face. Trembling, he pulled back on his hand, tried to get out of the handshake, a dozen nightmarish scenario running through his head.
I let go when that number reached fifteen and I was certain he'd see them in his dreams for weeks. He melted back into the crowd in the time it took to blink, but all I had to offer then was a sigh. Expected.
And it stung like hell. I'd never had that sort of mindless hate directed at me before this started. Rarely had anyone tried to show it to me in person.
Have fun turning yourself over to the police, dude.
"It won't be long now!" I said, and realized that the diplomats could definitely hear me.
Well, they wouldn't be wrong if they thought I was trying to force their hands. Really, they'd be close to absolutely right. It just so happened a little bit of public opinion was the gentler option at this point in time.
With that, I warped right to the middle of the parking lot.
Though, this being a highly secure government facility, it was also surrounded by high fences and patrolled by a bunch of security officers who surely had a heart attack when I reappeared right next to Diana.
"You play to the crowd," she said without looking at me.
"It was mostly accidental," I replied, grinning.
Without the amphitheater's looming arrangement, the gathering of ambassadors had turned into a crowd very much like the one outside the gates. There might be more metas in their midst, more political power in their pinky fingers than the average person out there, but it was not nearly so scary anymore.
This part, I had done before. Mostly.
Wonder Woman nodded to the man in charge of security and words were exchanged over coms. The four ten-wheelers parked in the corner let out the hiss of compressed air activating pistons. The doors on the back of the ten-wheelers opened, and from the slit bled out a cold white mist.
A few diplomats stood on the tip of their toes to get a better look as roughly twenty men in uniform began to unload the cargos. When some of the drapes slipped and showed glimpses of pale skin, those ambassadors froze.
My cue. I cleared my throat. "The mayor of Gotham has complied with the Justice League's demands and has brought every corpse that could be found following the Tragedy of Two Earths. Next to each corpse, you will find a file containing minor details regarding them."
God, I sound like a clerk in some deranged dystopian amusement park.
That thought certainly didn't help me focus.
"You are invited to test for yourself if those people are truly dead. Take as long as you need. The state of decay does not matter to me." My tone remained pleasant, though my smile tightened. "Though, unless it truly may put your concerns to rest, do show respect for the departed."
The bodies had been laid in rows all over the parking lot. For but the place, one could believe we'd stumbled upon the site of a recent disaster, and now was time to identify the bodies. Cautiously, with words said to their bodyguards, the few at the front began making their ways to the bodies. Then the French representative cut through the bullshit and just marched right at the front. She leveled me with a hard gaze as she walked past my group.
The floodgate had been opened. The diplomats at the back certainly could not be the ones to report having done nothing when opportunity had been offered. Of them all, only the American representative didn't bother examining anything. When he noticed me staring, he rolled his eyes and made a face like 'have your fun, it doesn't change my boss' opinion'.
Fair enough.
So, I leaned against a car's hood, the sort that probably cost more money than I had dreamed of seeing before, and waited. It was going to be fine. Probably. They weren't morons. Cautious, fine. Diana had mentioned it all already. They'd go through the motions and by the hour's count, we could all put together what was needed to start fixing this mess.
I felt something tickle my hair. Frowning, I ran a hand over the back of my head, convinced I was going to dislodge a fly or something. Instead, I heard a faint click of metal right at my heels. A small, grayish rock bounced on the asphalt of the parking lot.
With a frown, I lifted the silvery, glowing pebble, making it float to eye level. The shape was circular, yes, but… leveled, as if it had been compressed by force too great for its material.
"Deus, is that a-?" Captain Marvel cut short at my glare. Yes. Yes, it was a bullet. I only vaguely noticed, and I did not need the meeting to get stalled.
Smirking, I pocketed the sniper's bullet, then glanced in the direction it had come from. Someone had done their homework, huh? I could not feel their presence, and I had no desire to leave this group alone. Whoever wanted to interfere now would likely take a shot. With a small wave, I gestured for Billy to get closer and I pressed a photo against his chest.
"Think you can take care of it quickly?" I whispered. "Without causing this meeting to be delayed?"
"Sure," he said with an easy grin. "I'll be back in a minute."
Discretion.
Captain Marvel took off to the air like a red rocket, and not a member of the delegation or the security detail reacted at all. Sometimes, my powers were extremely practical.
Diana frowned after his form. "I am concerned someone would try, Deus Ex."
"Well… Bats did warn me." The number of protections I'd layered on myself had grown by a wide margin. Repeated. Refreshed. My self-loathing had grown since Constantine pointed out the flaw in subconscious-fueled powers. Wasn't taking too many chances.
She opened her mouth, perhaps to advise me on more caution, but before she could, the UN representatives had returned, in various state of unease and sorrow. Yeah. They'd confirmed that those were, indeed, dead kids.
"Please. Pay attention," I said, pulling my sleeves up and rubbing my hands together.
Theatrics. I used to do it in the time it took to blink. Quick, efficient, far less draining, less suspense. But people didn't work that way. I lifted both my arms in the air, eyes shining with a pure white glow.
"Rise."
One word. A hundred echoes bouncing over every surface, commanding beyond the boundaries of the physical world. Too much, for some. A handful of diplomats folded over, their hands on their heads, and I'd be sorry, another time.
The bodies stirred.
A repressed squeak of shock almost got a chuckle out of me. Zombie movies started this way.
The first was a blonde boy with a splash of freckles on his face. He sat up, stretching with sleepy eyes. Then started to notice he wasn't in his bed, or anywhere familiar. Calm. And that spell, I spread to my entire domain. They weren't monsters. They didn't deserve to be treated as such.
"Please," I told the safety officers, "direct them to the camp outside. Gently."
The nearest men, both blonde with short hair, nodded nervously. Couldn't blame them in this case. They started waving to the confused children, showing off what seemed to be badges to gather attention, and I imagined their trust. For the oldest, it could have worked, but half of those appeared to have been wearing rather… patchy clothing. Damn it. Hadn't thought of that.
Should I…?
Wonder Woman clanked her bracelets together, producing a small shockwave that turned every head towards her. "Children. I am Wonder Woman. There is much to explain, but I have been tasked with helping you bring you back to your parents, or failing that, your guardian."
It helped.
Some of the youngest sniffled, but tears had yet to fall. She picked those up with kind hands, whispering and smiling in ways that could only inspire confidence. To my surprise, a handful of bodyguards joined her. Heroes, I had to guess. There were still defiant gazes here and there, but with some cajoling, they could be convinced that they weren't about to be sold off to some crime ring in upper Gotham. It took roughly ten minutes, I would say, but by then, Captain Marvel had returned and the kids were being led out of the UN's congress center either to their parents or to buses that would carry them back to Gotham to the GCPD.
One step. Maybe even one city fixed. Only thousands more to go. But it was still the first step.
HELP ME!
"As a previous detractor," the French woman said, posture straight and proud, "I humbly place my vote behind Deus Ex."
"I," cut in a sharp voice, "on the other hand, do not."
My blood froze in my veins.
A man with Qurac's flag on his pin crossed his arms. "Those bodies were prepared far in advance. There are too many drugs that could induce exactly the same state as that of the deceased," he spoke quickly, spewing it all at once. "My government will not accept proof as feeble as this. We will not open our doors to trickery without definitive proof."
HELP ME!
"You had plenty of time to ascertain that. You were given time precisely for that reason!"
"Plenty? We only had UN approved devices for a simple scan. Devices the Justice League knows of."
"Are you accusing us of foul play?" Wonder Woman asked, her face stony.
"Your Lasso was ineffective but you passed it off as if it were foolproof!"
"That is only proof of the man's power!" jumped in someone from the back.
"Or trickery." – had to be Zhifu, even if I couldn't see him – "Your only gain is access to our territories. Why?"
"Are you all blind to what happened just now?"
"This reeks of an arranged ploy by the Justice League to gain more freedom from our charters!"
"What do you have to hide so badly that the idea of the Justice League walking inside your borders scares you to death, Zhifu?!"
The bickering came to an abrupt halt. It would be to say that every sound died out. That of their voices, yes, and that of passing cars in the street and wind brushing against stone and their very breath in their lungs.
"… Well," I began, something icy cold in my chest cracking, "if this still doesn't convince you, we could always kill someone right here and now and let me bring them back to life. Any volunteers?"
Wrong words.
Weapons came unsheathed, as dozens of hands became illuminated with various powers, fire or ice or light alike.
I could tear out my hair.
"It was sarcasm!" I shouted, starting to feel the pull of fire in my veins. "You're being obtuse! It's right there in front of your eyes. What? Are you going to provide me with corpses next? Do you want to go raid a funeral home? Would that satisfy you? Or is that too recent? I guess we could try and find a skeleton in a museum exhibit next?!"
"Deus Ex!" Diana called with clear warning in her voice.
My sight was blurring at the edge. Too angry. Even Billy looked wary. I turned my back on that conspiracy of useless shits. Didn't matter to them that I hated public appearances. That I was not one for arguing. Nope, no, I was only going on a limb and trying to help. Nevermind the millions that this affected on its own, no, no, argue with the godling that offers help for free, surely that won't backfire in the end. Won't make him put up a price just to make the cynics shut the fuck up!
Fine. Mind control or just brute force once I'm at the borders?
Shouts of alarms rose, and my head snapped up with a faint 'I haven't even started yet!'
The security officers on top of the walls were shouting orders for a man in green to drop to the ground and put his hands over his head. Which he could hardly do, considering what he was attached to.
"Charles?" What the fuck? What the actual, freshly harvested fuck? "Let him through!"
As one man, every security officer within my range dropped their weapons and sat on their hands. They shot wild panicked looks to their colleagues, then to me. Knowing his best chance, Charles tumbled through the opening, unlocking the straps of his suit and pulling his headgears off his head.
"Wishmaker. I could not help overhear."
I think if I had gifted myself with some telepathy, I could have heard the string of incredulous questions streaming out of Billy's head. The sentiment was understandable. Even my own mouth had twisted to reflect the inhumane sort of bafflement that came with Charles Brown somehow having had enough access to a secret UN meeting to know exactly what was being discussed and when to drop in.
The temptation to freeze time and process things grew, but I honestly didn't want to spend a minute longer here, surrounded by those people. Didn't want to hear my own thoughts echoing. 'Why bother asking if we cannot object?'
Diana stepped forward, standing right by my side, a hand hovering near her sword.
"Kite Man, this is a matter of international security. Why are you here?"
"I promised to repay you," he said, echoing the moment he had confronted Wonder Woman on my front yard.
It had been funny then.
Now, with understanding came a nameless dread.
"You've given me my world back," he said, smiling and showing two rows of nice, white teeth. "Help is the least I can give."
How could he possibly-?
Charles' hand moved. Picked up a weird, kite-shaped device. With a trigger. And no one thought – a kite-themed gun, what kind of moron – he held it against his own temple – his eyes were steel.
There's no way.
I couldn't hear the bang. In that split second, I could not hear a single thing.
Charles' body slumped to the ground, and I blinked back tears. S-someone had let out a cry of shock. As if hearing the thud of – the corpse – hitting the floor broke some form of spell.
I don't want it! Faith like that! I don't want it, you moron! Why did you give it to me?! I'm not worth believing in!
"Hera…" Diana murmured.
Two large arms steadied me, and I was infinitely grateful for the quiet "gotcha," Captain Marvel told me then. My legs… my legs felt like crumbling sand.
It's fine. I can fix it. I can fix it right now and murder him for doing that. Then resurrect him again. I can do that. I almost burst out in bellows of laughter right there and then. Yeah! I can bring back the dead. Make it so it never happened.
And a few hushed whispers between security guards caught my eyes.
Make it so it never should have happened.
Gently, I wormed myself out of Billy's grip, thanking him with a thumb ups and a grimace of a smile. Then, to the assembly of diplomats, of appointed representatives, I – madethemfalltotheirkneesscreaming! – cleared my throat.
Deep breath.
In. Out.
"Are you… satisfied that this man is dead?"
The assembly jolted, some of them just barely awakening past the spell of Charles' abrupt suicide. Some could be corpses, pale as they were, whilst some had turned nauseously green. One, a dark-haired man, looked on the verge of passing out. Yet, he kept staring at Charles'-
My mouth moved. "Do you want to check for yourselves?"
The echoes rang in my ears. Past the muffling beat of my own pulse. Coppery, watery smell drafted to my nose. I was gonna – throw up – blind someone.
One, one stepped forward, bodyguard in tow – some tall, black-clad being that looked vaguely inhuman. They knelt in Charles' gray matter, going to be sick, and took a sample. Screens popped up from some wrist computer, beeps came out, just, the whole holographic shit.
Then, one sharp nod from the bodyguard.
"Anyone else?" I asked, still somehow not vomiting my life. I was doing great, because not one of them had imploded for this fuckery.
A healthy empty space formed around me, only broken by Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel.
Resurrection.
I worked slowly. Purposefully forced the matter to reassemble itself, for the fragments of bone and the dribbling liquid to flow in reverse. For the representatives to see with their own eyes that I was not creating a copy, that I was healing what was there and replacing what was lost.
It could have been over within the span of a heartbeat.
It took a full minute, with me staring, cataloging every detail of Charles' faith in me. Putting a number on the tiniest bit of horror and feeding it to the embers in my chest.
Then, Charles was blinking on the ground, eyes lit with life and a hint of pride.
Embers sparked into flames.
My fist collided with his jaw.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKING ASSHOLE!"
Windows shattered throughout, and the panic started anew. I wish… I wish I would have cared even a little bit in that moment. But I was on the ground, knees on both sides of Charles' chest and my fists clenched into his collar.
"How dare you?! How dare you do that?!" I lifted him up and shook him. "Your life doesn't belong to me! I didn't ask, I never will ask for your life. I brought your son back for nothing! There was no debt! Do you hear me?! You owe me nothing! Not your allegiance, not your faith, and NEVER your life! It's yours and Junior's and you don't get to throw it away like that. You don't get to just give it to me! I'M. NOT. GOD!"
"They weren't worthy of hearing you beg, Wishmaker."
He might as well have punched me in the stomach. His suit slipped through my fingers. He hit the back of his neck on the ground with a slight wince. Heal, I thought frantically, uselessly. I'd already given him his health back. His life back. He knew.
He had known and he had pulled the trigger. He'd…
God help me.
Some part of me barely thought to blur us, to obscure the watchers' sense. In time, for me to sniff and "Call me by name, Charles."
And I laughed, because Charles Brown had unflinchingly put a weapon to his head and pulled the trigger, but the idea to call me by name somehow merited a hesitation.
"Please, they won't hear. No one will be able to understand or guess or anything." Undecipherable. "I… I just need to hear my name again. You can use it. Please."
Alf never does. And in the moment, that thought hurt in ways I had not expected. The imp didn't think of me like that. Not like Charles. Not like the people outside. I knew.
The moment of silence stretched, red furthered its path on Charles' face, shame or guilt or contrition. Something like that. He had an apology on the tip of his tongue. It was obvious. I wanted to hear it, and at the same time, really couldn't bear to deal with that.
With a sigh, I stood up and pulled Charles on his feet. Perhaps we could talk later. Maybe I'd punch him a couple more times for forcing me to hide his actions from Junior, because what the hell?!
God.
I heard shuffling behind me. The representatives. Right. Still in the middle of the demonstration. Fatigue crashed on top of me at the sheer thought of them and their pointy-hat and pointy words and pointy bullshit. Why were they…? Hadn't they had what they wanted? Proof. Even a spectacle of me showing my poor stoicism?
Monster.
"That's it. I'm done. You saw it. Go back and inform your superiors. I'm going to undo the Tragedy of the Two Earths. You can keep your illusion of control or see what I'll do if you stand in my way."
Spoiler