The Flightless

Doctor Fate

I'm sitting at an old piano in a decimated room. My fingers delicately dance over the cracked ivory keys. There is no tremor to my hands, nor can I make out any scars. Someone walks up behind me.

"You knew," I greet the voice. "You knew from the moment you arrived in Gotham that you were to die for me tonight."

Kent leans against the old instrument. "I did."

"Why lie to me, then? You said Dinah would become one of your best friends."

He smiles, "And she did, did she not?"

"Where are we?"

"Oh, Sera. We are always somewhere in this vast multi-verse."

Yes, the multi-verse. I understand now. In an instant, I understand the vast knowledge of the universe. I see the past, present, and future of all worlds. I see the worlds yet to come and the worlds to die. I see everything.

Kent takes my healed hand in his own. "Sera, when you return to Earth, please give Harleen my love. Tell her I'm sorry for leaving her so soon."

Loren. Harleen. Harleen Quinzel. Harley Quinn. Right now, she drops to her knees alone in a dark mansion. She cries out in agony for the loss of the love of her life. She screams so loudly, it aches in my ears. A tear falls down my cheek.

"Darkseid approaches," another man says. He stands next to Kent, clad in all black with golden eyes. "The Lords require us to take action. Steppenwolf's prophecy cannot be fulfilled."

I stand from my seat, and suddenly, I don't feel so exhausted. In fact, I feel revived. I feel rejuvenated, rather than in the heart of a battle.

"You must be Nabu."

"In person. Normally, I don't allow such intrusions in my helm, but you would be a perfect vessel for Doctor Fate."

I shake my head. "No. I didn't put on the helm to be the next vessel for Nabu. I put it on to save my word. Tell me how to do that."

Nabu and Kent both step backward. "Sera, you don't have a choice in the matter. For your own good, you must submit to the Lords."

"No," I repeat. "I've seen the life Kent has lived. I will not share that same destiny. I am a mother. I am a wife. I won't be a pawn of the Lords."

My closest friend lays a hand on my shoulder. "You may choose to take this life or not, but you know what will be waiting for you, should you deny Nabu's offering."

Insanity. I remember when Kent told Ed that without Nabu's divination, the knowledge of the helm will drive even the strongest of minds mad in a matter of minutes. I will be forced to watch my life pass by behind a screen of madness.

"That's only when I remove the helmet, right? Until I take it off, I have Nabu's blessing."

The god scoffs. "Yes, but—"

"I'll take it. I can wear this thing long enough to stop the end of the world."

Kent sighs, "Very well, Sera. If this is truly what you want—"

"It is."

"I pray the spirits will be kind to you."

I open my all-white eyes. I'm back in Gotham, and somehow in the middle of the sky. Parademons continue to attack my friends. No more. My hands extend, and Fate's typical gold and blue garb cover my Cardinal outfit.

I am Doctor Fate.

Power brims from the tips of my fingers. It surges through my chest and strengthens my bones, as well as my resolve.