The Anti-Matter Universe -
The anti-matter universe stretched before Lobo a place of wrongness, of twisted physics and evils. Lobo's bike roared through the emptiness, the Main Man sat astride it, his red eyes scanning the void of this space.
"What a shitty place..." He shook his head slowly, his grip tightening on the handlebars, his knuckles white beneath his gauntlets. "I never liked this fraggin' universe. I've only been here once before, and that was one time too many. Nothin' but bad memories and worse company."
He paused, his eyes narrowing as he considered the situation, his mind already calculating the worth of the job against the inconvenience it had caused him.
"Ahh, I might reconsider my pay with the shadow bastard again..." He said with frustration. "This job has proved bothersome. More bothersome than I anticipated. I expected a simple hunt, find the target, track her down, collect the payment. But no. She's been slippery.. Cunning. Almost like she knows she's bein' followed."
His grin returned, wide. "But that's what makes it fun! The chase is the best part, anyway. The findin', the trackin', the moment when the prey realizes they've been caught." He laughed harsh. "That's when it gets interestin'. That's when they start to squirm."
He looked around, his eyes scanning the void, looking for any trace of the trail he had been following for days.
"Grail should be here in this universe," he said to himself, "The trail led me here after all. It's been consistent, clear, no deviations, no false leads. She's been here, and recently."
His voice dropped, "But then again, no good lead about the Dragon fellow. That bastard's as slippery as they come. I've been trackin' him for a week, and I've got nothin'. No trail, no scent, no fraggin' clue. It's like he doesn't exist."
His bike carried him forward, and then he saw it.
A glow, dark, violet, pulsing with the rhythm of a giant heartbeat. It came from a planet in the distance, its surface glowing with the light of a thousand shadows, a beacon in the emptiness.
Lobo's eyes narrowed.
"The shadow lanterns home... Nyx." He slowed his bike. "No wonder he got everyone else mad. The bastard established a lantern corps in the former headquarters of the yellow lanterns, in this godforsaken universe where all evil reigns."
He laughed.
"Something or someone was bound to get mad! You can't just waltz into the anti-matter universe, claim a planet, and expect everyone to be happy about it. That's not how the universe works. That's not how anything works.."
He paused.
"He didn't explain to me why he wanted Grail and this Dragon fellow found. But it's clear to me now." His grin returned. "He's got too many enemies.. Way too many. He can't focus on all of them together."
His laugh echoed across the void.
"Fraggin' shadow bastard. Always collectin' enemies like they're trophies. One day, it's gonna catch up to him. One day, he's gonna find himself surrounded by all the people he's pissed off, and there won't be enough shadows to save him."
He paused, his voice dropping to a more contemplative tone.
"But today ain't that day. Today, I got a job to finish."
He urged his bike forward, leaving the glow of Nyx behind, his eyes fixed on the darkness ahead.
"Now where are you..." His voice dropped to a predatory growl, the sound of a hunter who had finally caught the scent. "Daughter of Darkseid."
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The Anti-Matter Universe - Mobius's Domain
His throne room existed in the space between spaces, a pocket of anti-matter reality where the laws of physics were under his rules. The walls, if they could be called walls, shifted and pulsed. The floor was a mirror of polished nothing.
At the center of it all, Mobius sat on a throne.
The Anti-Monitor was a colossus of cosmic terror, his body was vast and terrible.
Grail stood before him, her form regal, her eyes carrying the same terrible fire as her father's. "There have been reports," she said, irritated. "A bounty hunter has been tracking me."
Mobius's eyes flickered. "A bounty hunter?"
Grail nodded slowly, her jaw tight. "His name is Lobo. He is... persistent. Relentless. And he has a reputation for never failing to complete a contract."
Mobius's expression didn't change. "And who hired him? Your father?"
Grail shook her head, "No. My father would not bother with a bounty hunter.. He would send his Elite, his Furies, or simply obliterate the target himself. This is someone else's work."
She paused, her eyes meeting Mobius's.
"It must be the Shadow. He didn't like the fact that I escaped with that dragon corpse. He suspects something, he is quite smart. Hiring Lobo is exactly the kind of move he would make."
Mobius laughed. "What can a measly bounty hunter do? One being, no matter how skilled, cannot threaten us."
Grail stepped forward, "That measly bounty hunter will find us sooner or later. Do not underestimate him." She paused, her eyes hardening. "He always gets his job done, one way or another. And he cannot die."
Mobius's eyes narrowed. "I have heard about him. Plenty of things. One of them is his inability to stay dead." He paused, his voice dropping. "Though he has never faced someone like me."
Grail's smile was thin. "He faced the Shadow and survived."
Mobius's eyes blazed with sudden fury. His voice rose, "Are you putting that boy on the same level as myself?!"
Grail held her ground, her voice steady. "No. I am putting him on the level of someone who is capable enough to survive. I know what he is capable of, but he is not someone I would ally myself with. That is why I am here... because I know you are capable of defeating both my father and the Shadow."
She paused, her voice dropping to a more measured tone.
"But we must respect our foes. Or at least acknowledge what they can do. The Shadow is not someone to be underestimated. Even my father is wary of him, so wary that he has never attempted to confront him fully or send his Elite after him." Her voice hardened. "He killed Steppenwolf like he was nothing."
Mobius's expression shifted, the fury fading into something more contemplative. His voice was dismissive. "Most of Darkseid's Elite are weak. Steppenwolf included."
Grail's voice carried a note of agreement, "I am confident in taking them on myself. But that is not what I meant." She paused. "The only real threat is my father. And to the Shadow, the only threat is Darkseid as well, not Apokolips and what it has. Because he commands armies as well. That is why we also need armies."
She met Mobius's gaze.
"And I have laid the plan for that."
Mobius's eyes narrowed. "You will unleash your trap?"
Grail shook her head slowly. "Not yet. As far as I know, Desaad has only made prototype Paradragons. I cannot expose my plan on prototypes." Her voice hardened. "I will wait for the real deal."
Mobius was silent for a long moment.
Then he spoke, "Very well. If they truly prove powerful and lay waste to Apokolips, I will attack Darkseid and use that chance. As for you, you will aid me as well."
Grail nodded slowly. "That is what I was planning to do."
Mobius's eyes met hers. "But first, deal with this bounty hunter. I am not going to waste my power on him."
Grail's voice was flat, "I'll do that, I will confront him before he finds me. It will save me time and the unfortunate case if he appears during an inappropriate moment, I can't give him that advantage."
She paused, her eyes hardening.
"Might as well get rid of him now."
Mobius's smile was cold, approving.
"Then do it."
/-\
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