"I'm gonna ask you one more time," Lobo said, his voice a low growl that vibrated through the metal floor and his body was casting a shadow across the Collector. "And then I'm gonna start gettin' creative. You know what that means?"
"She came, she paid, she left, I don't know where she went." The Collector said.
Lobo's hand moved to his gun, "You're lyin'. I can smell it. You've got that fraggin' stench of deception all over you."
The Collector remained silent.
Lobo's gun was out, pressed against the Collector's forehead, "I don't care if you have a fraggin' harem and a hundred little offsprings. You're gonna tell me what I want to know, or you're gonna be a very dead collector with a very sad story."
The Collector's resolve crumbled.
"Alright Damn it! The Lady told me... she told me she was planning to use the technology against her father!" The words tumbled out in a frantic rush, as if he was afraid they would be lost if he didn't speak fast enough. "She said she needed a weapon, something or someone powerful enough to challenge him. She was looking for a being who could help her do it, the tech she took is orignally from the anti matter universe, I think you can guess where she is heading to.. no?"
Lobo's eyes narrowed, his finger resting lightly on the trigger. "Interesting. Also, 'Lady'? She ain't no lady. She's a fraggin' menace with daddy issues."
He paused, "Let me ask you somethin' else." His voice dropped, becoming more dangerous. "This Dragon Monarch. You know about him? You think he's the one she's lookin' for?"
The Collector's eyes went wide with genuine confusion. "Wh... who?"
Lobo's gun lowered. He stared at the creature for a long moment, reading the fear in his eyes, the absence of deception.
Then he sighed.
"Ah, damn it. Never mind." He holstered his gun. "You're useless. Fraggin' useless. But you gave me enough."
He turned to leave, then he paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
"If I find out you lied to me," he said, his voice carrying the particular warmth of a promise made, "I'm gonna come back. And I'm gonna make sure you never lie to anyone again, and I'll take all of your junk."
The Collector collapsed in relief.
Lobo walked out of the den, his laughter echoing behind him.
Lobo's bike roared through the void, its engines screaming and the stars blurred past him, he had a lead now, a direction, a purpose.
He was heading to Anti-Matter Universe.
His mind was already working through the possibilities, the sheer fraggin' joy of finding Grail and wringing information out of her, or if she resisted, wringing her neck instead.
Then he glanced back.
A shadow was following him.
It was silent, barely visible against the darkness of space, but it was there. A flicker of violet light, it had been following him since the start of this hunt, a shadow that didn't cast its own shadow, a presence that felt like death.
Lobo's grin returned, "The shadow bastard," he muttered to himself, "Really doesn't trust me, does he? That thing's been followin' me since I started this hunt."
He laughed.
"Fraggin' shadows. Always watchin'. Always lurkin'. Can't even take a fraggin' leak without one of 'em starin' at you."
He shook his head, still grinning.
"Alright, you spooky fragger," he said, raising his voice. "I know you're there! You want to watch, you want to follow, you do you! But if you try to interfere, I'm gonna make sure you regret it!"
The shadow didn't respond.
It simply continued to follow, silent and patient, a reminder that the Shadow Monarch's reach extended far beyond the boundaries of Nyx.
Lobo's laughter echoed across the void.
.
.
.
.
Arthur's Estate - The Underground Base
The Base was filled with Holographic displays that floated in the air like ghosts, each one projecting streams of data that would have overwhelmed a lesser mind. Equations danced across the walls in shimmering script, their numbers shifting and reforming as Shadow Lex Luthor and Shadow Owl worked through calculations that spanned the boundaries of known physics.
Arthur sat in his chair at the center of the chamber, his violet eyes fixed on the data streaming across the main display.
Shadow Lex turned from the console, his expression carrying the weight of discovery. His voice was measured, precise, the voice of a mind that had just solved a puzzle that had been eluding him for days.
"My King. We have identified the origin of the future Flash's temporal signature."
Arthur straightened, his eyes narrowing with interest. "Tell me."
Shadow Lex's fingers moved across the interface, pulling up a new display a representation of the multiverse, its infinite branches spreading across the screen like the roots of an ancient tree.
"The Flash did not come from his own timeline. He did not come from our Earth-Prime's future." He paused, letting the words sink in. "He came from a different Earth entirely. A different reality."
Arthur's brow furrowed. "So which one?"
Shadow Lex's voice dropped, "Earth-7, my King."
Arthur rose from his chair, walking toward the display, his eyes fixed on the representation of Earth-7 that now dominated the screen. It was a world that looked familiar a blue-green sphere, orbiting a yellow sun, surrounded by the same stars that filled Earth-Prime's sky.
But there was something wrong with it.
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "From what I can see here, that world is completely destroyed." He paused. "Though I can't tell how that came to happen."
Shadow Owl's voice was measured. "The data suggests that the destruction was... sudden. And very catastrophic. There were no warnings, no signs of escalation. One moment the world existed. The next, it was gone."
Arthur's voice was flat, controlled. "This is getting very confusing.. Was this the work of Mobius?" He paused, his eyes still fixed on the display. "You have pinpointed the location, right?"
Shadow Lex nodded slowly. "Yes, my King. We have the exact coordinates. The exact temporal signature." He paused. "We can even build a portal for you, if you wish. But with your powers.."
Arthur's hand rose, cutting him off. "I know. Once I have a location, I can travel at will." He paused, his voice dropping. "I just need to decide whether doing that means I'm undoing what the Flash warned me about...or if I'm literally doing what he warned me about."
Shadow Lex's voice was measured, patient. "Playing with time is unpredictable. And sometimes, it is inevitable."
Arthur's eyes met his. "I understand the concern. But it's better than remaining idle."
"I do believe that you need to act, my King. One look at that world, and you might get answers. You might understand what the Flash was trying to tell you." Shadow Owl said.
Arthur was silent for a long moment.
Then he spoke, his voice carrying the weight of decision. "You are both correct. I should check that world."
Shadow Lex nodded slowly. "The multiverse is big, my King. And so are the threats that come with it. But you are a multiversal being, only one of you exists across the multiverse. Just like a selected few beings out there who are the same like this. The Endless, for example."
He paused, his eyes meeting Arthur's.
"So you shouldn't worry about paradoxes. Or about what the Flash does. You are not bound by the same rules."
Arthur's smile was small and genuine. "Barry and his fucks ups..." He shook his head slowly. "Alright. I'll go and check that world."
Shadow Lex and Shadow Owl bowed their heads.
"As you command, Monarch."
Arthur raised his hand.
A portal opened before him, a tear in reality, its edges crackling with violet light, its surface swirling with the colors of the space between spaces. Beyond it, the void of the multiverse beckoned, infinite and unknowable.
Arthur stepped toward the portal.
His voice carried back over his shoulder. "I'll be back soon."
He stepped through.
The portal closed behind him.
Shadow Lex and Shadow Owl stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the space where their monarch had been.
Shadow Lex's voice was quiet, almost to himself. "Stay safe, my King."
/-\
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