Year Eight Part Two

-Neo-

"Earthquakes around the globe have been growing more and more frequent as of the past few months. Tsunamis in Japan and Indonesia, even in Africa, have lead to the deaths of nearly a hundred people, the disappearance of just as many and the destruction of lives and businesses alike. The heroes of America and the world have once again shown the goodness of their hearts by helping wherever they could, notably, Neo Mundus, who has gladly accepted to send half of the drones in Bludhaven around the globe, the Flash, running around the globe to send medical help among other things and Batman/Bruce Wayne funding humanitarian aid around the globe. More on that with Lois Lane in Japan…"

It's been like this for a while now. I don't remember any event in either shows or comics that would cause so many earth quakes except in the Justice League animated series.

Vandal savage had created a gravitational machine that ended up causing the end of the world. With help from Lexcorp, we'll be able to detect if some kind of unnatural shift in gravity is to blame in our case. Soon, a new satellite equipped for the job will be launched and we'll know for sure. Worse, if that is the case, while we haven't even figured out how we'll deploy a shield around the planet to face the moon threat, and perhaps other greater threats eventually, then we'll also have to account for that.

In the meantime, there isn't only bad news, some good ones came my way specifically. I'll soon get out of this bed after all.

Sure, I'll forever be disfigured in both face and body but, it's not like I was going around showing those off. Besides, when I do eventually die again, I'll just come back as good as new. I hope. If whatever force that governs my resurrections somehow decides that this is my prime, I might be stuck for a long time looking like this.

On the side, the triad gave me a gift! With all the knowledge they held combined plus their understanding of my likes and dislikes, they created a power armor designed to accommodate my new condition. Using neural technology designed by Cyborg and a whole new power source taken from one of T. O. Morrow's retrieved killer bots (Those that had been neutralized before they started taking hostages).

More resistant, has much better drain and energy efficiency... It was supposed to be the next level beyond what I had before. I was doubting at first when they were about to reveal the design. Turned out that Interpretor really knows what I like.

Gone was the gold and red, replaced by an elegant carbon black for the greater part of the armor with mint green lights and pieces here and there. It was perfectly balanced (As all things should be), simple and slim yet strong shoulders thanks to the segmented shoulder pads as well as the gauntlets, legs and boots with a slight bulk to balance them out. 

The green cape helped with the aesthetic too, it was split in two, both parts the size of a third of a regular cape. That same size separated them. It gave the whole thing space warrior vibes, like it was designed by aliens.

The most unique thing about it though was the helmet.

It was like a mix of a sci-fi full visor plus the elongated head of an alien. The glass like material was tinted green to keep up the color scheme while most of its other components were black. It was just the way in which it split in the middle that got me hooked. Iconic silhouettes are perfect for marketing after all, they make me more unique and recognizable.. Yes. Someday we'll sell toys...

But back to the armor! It was just… Perfect. It kinda felt like what you'd expect from power rangers, not DC super heroes. I haven't even gotten on the system and weapon improvements!

But let's leave that for later…

Actuator had built for himself a similar main body, though without the cape. It reminded me of a Warframe from the game of the same name... Which exists in this world too, somehow, it was a pleasant surprise. Someday, I'll ask them to add me in the game. I'd pay them millions for it. I can afford it after all.

Actuator came in that very body to present to me the culmination of the triad's efforts on themselves as well. I wish I did pay them so, that I could give them a raise or something but, they don't really need money.

"Sir?" He asked, seemingly worried. "It's hard to read your emotions in your current state… Is this to your liking or will we need to make more adjustments?"

I turned my head towards him.

"Sorry, I was just a little… Surprised. I'm so proud of you three. I know Imaginator and Interpretor are hearing this too. You've done more than well."

I swear, I didn't want to cry. It's not like I physically can anymore anyways.

"Thank you sir. I'll help you in, you should get used to the mental controls as soon as possible. With this armor, I doubt you will have to worry about explosions of that magnitude ever again. With everyone's help, we'll send anyone who stands against us to oblivion."

Today, I am a new man!

Space is the perfect realm for testing flight speed.

Actuator told me that they increased the graviton capacity a thousand times over, allowing me to use a lot more power for things like travel or restraining my enemies. I believed him, of course. It's not that hard to conceive, it just seems like a pain to charge up to full and it must have cost as much as the previous armor itself in energy to miniaturize a container that big, around a full five story building… Is it necessary? No. Is it cool? Yes.

I simply hadn't realized that meant I could get from earth to mars in ONLY thirty minutes. 225 million kilometers… In half an hour, that's around half the speed of light!

I have to constantly maintain my negative graviton shield. Using the anti graviton shield on normal matter permanently removes its gravity and a part of my reserves of those so it's really not necessary. 

Using the negative gravitons allows me to propel normal matter away from me. 

In case you wonder why I'd need a shield while traveling in space, listen. Imagine flying at a the speed of a regular space craft of human design. Then there's a particle of dust in your way.

If you're connected to the speed force, no worries. Same if you have a really good spaceship or a Lantern ring. Otherwise, the sheer power of the impact would be devastating. The energy would be so great that the impact point would go straight past melting and directly turn into plasma… Very, very dangerous. It would be like impaling yourself on minuscule dust particles.

Imagine that while going a half of the speed of light! I'd get decimated. I'm not superman, I can't just ignore the damage, this armor costs way too much and isn't as resistant as I wish it was…

Someday, I'll figure out/steal a way to warp space around me. With space itself bending in my presence, few things could harm me and there would be no limits to the speeds I could achieve.

Maybe even making Wormholes would be possible, even if I bet we'll figure out Zeta rays long before that.

In the Injustice show, it seemed to be very available to the league, I don't remember about the other media.

Even theoretically, I'm not sure how their supposed to work! My guess is that they somehow put matter in a quantum lock state and exchange the place of two things charged with Zeta particles. Or perhaps it's got to do with vibration frequencies that allow travel within a universe, just like vibration at certain frequencies allow for multiversal travel.

Boom tubes are also a much better alternative than making Wormholes. They do allow for multiversal travel already but they require godly energies like Omega or the Source's power.

Cyborg can draw from the source but not just to sustain power. Its complex and it only powers him with has much as he physically can handle.

There are other energies that I'd love to harness like Anticrisis energy, the other forces like the Sage Force and the strength force and, at some point, even the collective consciousness. But that's not close to happening.

But with all of that one might wonder why I'm so ready to 'ignore' magic. Simple. I prefer not drawing my power from anyone other than 'myself'. If possible, I'd rather not be dependent on any gods or demons. As some might know, magic on earth exists because of either the lords of order and chaos or the Greek goddess of magic, Hecate, depending on the continuity.

Achieving godhood would be a way to bypass that but, let's be real. That ain't happening right now either.

But let's leave the science and arcane ideas behind a little. 

Mars is boring. Maybe I'll come back if I can terraform it in a few thousand years. Talking about crazy future projects, there's no way I'm not making a Dyson sphere. Even if it's inefficient, costs ridiculous amounts of resources and would take a while to make, it's still a huge cosmic flex.

A whole artificial world with at its core the sun itself.

Sure, the sun will blow up one day but this is DC. We can probably stop that from happening all together.

Besides, I have many ways to ensure the survival of mankind for millions of years, even if I have to pull a Vandal Savage and make deals with Darkseid.

But even with all that, we've still got ways to exploit it right now without offending the underground population! Because I haven't forgotten about the martians. I'm just not curious on if they are still a thing, if they were enslaved by the white martians or if they are not part of this crossover like universe of DC continuities. And that last one would be a shame. Anyone who knows about Apex Lex or Furnace, knows about the potential of Martian DNA. I am not joking when I say that if Martian Manhunter wanted to, he could bring earth to its fucking knees.

A small drone detached from my chest plate, no larger than a mosquito. One of the many new features of this new armor. Small cameras that can at a moment's notice grow to reach the size of an average camera.

But why do I want to film the barren surface of mars, you ask? Simple. Ever heard of twitch?

"Hello earth! It is I, Neo Mundus. I've been gone for a while due to an unfortunate work accident, which could have cost my life if not for my friends at the league and beyond."

Yes. The ultimate flex. We had made the announcement in the media a while ago. Over fifty thousand people were already waiting for it to start and now, I was going to reward them for it. 

"As you can see, I've got a new armor to help with my condition, very unique, I know. So I bet you have a lot of things to say so, questions to ask, ect, go ahead! I shall do my best to answer for the next hour."

Ha! plenty of oxygen for a dozen, actually. Even with all that talking!

And comments were flooding in, insults, grateful thanks and many many questions. One I was waiting for caught my eyes though.

"Ah! Crimsonpug69 asks where I am! Well that seems like the easiest thing to explain."

In a few moments, I and the drone were floating above the planet. You can guess how people reacted to that. The questions and reactions that followed were incredibly entertaining. But it was rather short. One hour is nothing when having fun.

Eventually, I made my way back to Bludhaven, after answering a ton of questions and joking around live. It was a lot of fun, even reading the comments trying to criticize me.

They can keep laughing, soon, I'll be richer than Lex and Wayne combined! You think I forgot about my plans to mine asteroids? Ha. Even if three years ago I made those plans, I still remember them to this day! And I assure you, breaking the world economy is going to be one of my many future achievements.

-???-

My father. I wonder why so many of us ambitious beings have father issues. In my case, I'm not sure they really are issues. If he knew of what I was doing right now, he would despise it. But I don't despise him. I understand him. He's like a half mortal or a false god. He is… Still blind.

People often say, like father, like son. But I'm better than him even if I share similarities. I've inherited the best and worst of him, but those best parts are enhanced more thanks to mother.

Oh sweet mother. Why won't you speak to me?

Her silence confuses me and I wonder, perhaps is she not sentient? Or is she an Idiot god? This family dynamic is strange. I hope I never have siblings.

The Deep Black, he calls her. His ignorance is understandable. When I came into being, I only sought to get closer to him. I was jealous of all that he had as a man, friends, family... But I could not blame him for not knowing about me. I could not blame him for not simply rolling over and sharing either. That would be impossible. There cannot be two Neo Mundus. I had to become my own man.

Every time he came back, I got closer and closer to this world. I crawled through the void until finally… I was born. Nameless, formless, an insult on the name of the Source or any other God. I was overjoyed, but already, in his terror, he attacked me. And then I felt cold. Only to wake up… Somewhere. I would have resented him. But I knew him. I understood. All his actions made perfect sense. Even if they still wounded me.

To know I held no place anywhere in this vast multiverse saddened me. So then what does one do given such terrible cards to play at the beginning of the game of life? Play anyways. Life is a game where all you need to find better cards is time and a bit of luck. If there is no place for me anywhere, then I shall make one everywhere. Father is too ignorant to understand his newfound nature. I am that he is and more, nothing can stand in my way but him.

I already know every way to gain power in this universe, as he does. All I have to do is wait, grow, observe. Wherever it is he sent me, it isn't killing me. If it did, then I came back somewhere safe anyway.

First order of business? Eyes. I need to see to better understand. And so I saw. From countless eyes all around my eager shifting form, I could see the pale ground, the black sky… The man sent me to the moon. Clever. Far enough to not be a danger yet close enough to keep an eye on.

But I won't give up so easily. He has no idea of the nature of mother. I do because I was born from her. It grants me many advantages and disadvantages. Advantages he does not have. His corporeal nature limits him. They say mind over matter, I say spirit over matter. Without a spirit to animate flesh, it is nothing but dust arranged in patterns. Like all matter, its meaning comes from realms beyond.

And so, slowly but surely, like death encroaching on a mortal, like entropy made flesh, I consumed the matter beneath me, converted it into more of myself. And I grew. I was like a corrupting cancer. The difference? I was here to cure. I am the cure to 'the end'. A path towards peace that isn't just no longer being alive to experience anything but that. I am a savior. The god my father wishes he was. He seeks to uplift humanity while I seek to uplift myself and bring everything else under me.

I'll have them thank me, and worship me for my services. After all, born from the void, I am a god myself. From outside this realm, an outer god and, as the original term described, an 'other' god. One who did not partake in creation but who does hold power over it.

Shame I inherited my father's chronic incapacity to find good names. It's been so long and I still don't know what to call myself.

But back to how I came to be as I am today. Consuming, converting, growing, saving. Doing a God's work. Eventually, they noticed. The man of steel was sent after me first. His puny attacks lacked the size and impact to really hurt me. But I did feel them, parts of me dying off.

Then the Lantern, the guardians themselves, Shazam, everything they had access to. Except father himself, he never came to visit. I would have said hi but, I suppose my enlightened monologue to convert him wouldn't have worked anyways.

He likes these heroes. I like them too. So I didn't kill them when I could have. It would be too easy. My father and I also share a tendency for laziness and self sabotage though.

I doubt it could even come back to bite me in the ass later. I don't have any. Talking about that, I also need a wife. I can't possibly have no equals in this universe. If they are a she, I will try my luck for sure. I bet father is still struggling with girls at this very moment, even as I plan and consume all things, a mistake I will not make. I can look however I like, if I can't get a girlfriend to rule the omniverse by my side, I'd be only slightly better than him.