Darkseid? (was Re: LSH: Who's the mysterious voiceover
Dave Van Domelen
reality? I mean, besides Giffen, he don't count no more.
The year is 2980, and on dark Apokolips Darkseid stirs. Something has
shifted in the universal balance, yet only now does he notice it. Certain of
his own memories are shifting, altering...things are not what they were.
Although weaker for his long sleep, enough power remains for Darkseid to see
what has transpired. Certain elements of history are no longer there.
Searching his mind, he finds his memories of that powerful Terran, Superman,
changing. No longer was Superman active as a youth. No longer is he fated to
be an obstacle to Darkseid's plans...that role has shifted to a Daxamite.
Exercising his powers, Darkseid peers at this Daxamite, whose role in history
has suddenly been vastly inflated. He sees the strings, strings which he
always remembers being there...but not nearly so strong as this. A coarser,
less skilled puppetmaster has taken over the duties of holding Mordru at bay.
A puppetmaster with more flaws, one more likely to let loose that mage before
Darkseid himself is ready to confront him. Or worse, to let the universe slip
into a state where Mordru will be unbeatable by even the mighty Apokoliptian.
Darkseid knew it was necessary to form a plan by which the balance might
be tipped in his favor. Yet, great though his powers were, they were not
suited to the task of such fine manipulations to the timestream. He admitted
to himself...he needed help. And he found that help in the person of a
brillian terran scientist, one obsessed with the myth of the Gemini Matrix.
The Gemini would allow Darkseid to become a third pillar supporting the vault
of time, perhaps the central one.
However, this would take years. Hoping to gain power in the present day,
while both Glorith and Mordru were weak, he set in motion the Great Darkness,
which almost succeeded. However, its failure was a minor setback...success in
the quieter plan would assure total victory. Yes, the Quiet Darkness was far
more important.
The Great Darkness had taught Darkseid that direct confrontation would not
avail him against the mighty heroes of the era. No, far better to have a fable
to tell the heroes...that he was tired of life, and that only through the
Gemini power could a god find peace. And there was a truth in it...he was
tired of life in the universe he found himself in. He had no desire to live in
it any longer. Thus, with the help of Coda and Aria, he found his way into the
realm beyond the timestream. From there he began weaving his plot.
First, pawns. The crude mockeries of life he had used during the Great
Darkness would not suffice...he must exploit the legends of the heroes, not
just their powers. And he had indeed learned the power of a legend. Choosing
a time when the Legion was at what might be called its peak, when their legend
was strongest, Darkseid employed his mighty Omega Effect to create duplicates
of the Legion...for as the Omega Effect can destroy life, cannot it also
create? Still, he had to be careful, for although he wielded the power of time
itself, he was forced to share that power with Glorith. And as she was not
only the more experienced in its use, but also physically tied to it, she had
the stronger claim to the power. From outside time, Darkseid could only take
subtle actions. But they sufficed.
Molding the minds of his chosen legends, as well as their bodies, he
fashioned them into more suitable pawns for when the time came. Certain
Legionnaires of the era remained unduplicated, for one reason or another. Some
lacked the power to be worth his effort. Others had the power to potentially
see his plans and stop them. When he was done, he placed their still forms
beneath the time institute, allowing himself that small irony.
Moving forward again, to the time after he left the continuum, he guided
the events he had set in motion. He needed a special agent capable of either
thwarting or weakening both Mordru and Glorith, yet who could be easily
defeated by one who knew how. Quickly abandoning the blunt instrument
approach, he chose instead a mirror. Under the cover of a lightning bolt cast
by one of his pawns (after a slight mental suggestion to do so) Darkseid once
more employed the Omega Effect, to empower a young reporter with the power to
return any force used against him.
From then on, it was to be a work of extreme subtlety. A circuit frozen a
few weeks prior, a ship moved five meters two days later...and a minor mental
barrier placed in the mind of a woman used as a pawn by Glorith, one that would
let her break free at just the right time. By this time, Darkseid's control
over time was strong. As a test of control, he interfered with Glorith during
a battle of hers with the Legion, costing her several foolish mistakes. This
humiliation goaded her into trying a desperate plan in the 20th Century,
involving the subjugation of Valor. By slightly pushing on the power, Darkseid
caused Valor to die too early, cracking the time stream enough that it only
needed a slight tap to allow him to take total control.
Then his special agent reflected a portion of the power back into Glorith,
providing the needed tap. And Darkseid was now free to shatter the mold and
start anew.
Dave Van Domelen, wonders if he's even close....
Francis A Uy
> Hey, hey, hey! Waitaminnit! Who says Darkseid completely bowed out of
>reality? I mean, besides Giffen, he don't count no more.
The cover story of this month's Previews says that Darkseid
is back in action. Not in the 30th century, but in
[damn, my quoted-insert function still isn't working.]
[spoilers ahead]
an upcoming miniseries,
Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey
Superman leaves Earth to go after Doomsday.
Doomsday is on Apokolips, where he beats up Darkseid.
CyberSupes, Hank Henshaw, is still alive, and takes over
Apokolips's war machines.
Superman and Darkseid vs Henshaw and Doomsday.
-F
.