interrogoiterum | Final Crisis: God is dead

Final Crisis: God is dead

So... this is it then, the end.

Renee tries not to think of her family. It's not as easy as it might seem, given she's been trying not to think of her family for years.

The Cathedral is full of people doing the same thing, sitting around in clutches of friends and acquaintances, all focused hard on not thinking about their loved ones that must be outside in the Anti-Life throng, collectively calling at the cathedral for people to Submit. It's not a pleasant situation, but it's suddenly very much worse when the noise stops.

Everyone outside is silent.

And then, in the middle of the crowd, a sound, like a shepherd's crook on stone. The crowd parts, and the man comes forward, barefoot, clad in only a pair of torn shorts, and clutching the Spear, the glows red with energy like hate, matching the flames pouring forth from the inverted cross between his eyes.

Renee recognises his face - it's Vandal Savage, the Immortal Man. Or at least, the body is. The person in the body is Cain, and Renee has no idea if that is Vandal Savage, or is just possessing him. She doesn't know if there is a difference.

He stands at the base of the steps to the cathedral and screams. “Hate Everything. HATE EVERYTHING.

“God most of all.”

He stands at the base of the steps and he calls for the Spectre. And the Spectre answers – well, Crispus Allen answers, materialising at Vandal Savage's feet, snatching the Spear and lifting the man up with a hand at his throat. It's definitely more wrath-of-man than wrath-of-God. And Cain answers it – by plunging a thumb into Cris' eye, kicking the Spear back into his own hands and plunging it down through Cris' heart.

Renee screams “No!” but no one heeds her.

Right now, at this moment, she doesn't believe in God. At least, no God who could allow this to happen. Who could allow Cain to stand there, with a spear through her friend's body, and rip the Spectre out, leaving Crispus a dead husk on the ground.

But there are new gods. They're dying and being reborn, and all of us mortals, she thinks, all of us made of meat and blood – we're nothing to them, just collateral damage. The Spectre, apart from his human body now, kneels in red chains at Cain's feet. The Radiant stands behind the Question, not quite cowering, but not much more than submissive.

The Crime Bible foretells Cain's return, and the vengeanse he wreask upon the world, upon God's creation for the punishment he endured. Cain's return heralds the end of the world, the death of the old god. The book of Adumbrations tells of Cain ushering in the Age of Apokalips on Earth.

The Spectre kneels at Cain's feet and calls him Master.

This is how the world ends. With the might of one God brought to his knees, a slave following on the heels of his master and – as Cain lifts a hand to touch the Radiant on her glowing cheek – with the corruption of God's mercy.

And then, he turns his attention to Renee. Because it's been at least an hour since anyone tried to kill her and that can't be left alone.

“You defied my will, Faceless. You failed me. You were to lead my order, the one detined to put the spear in my hands, not Sister Wrack,” (Who by the by is watching all this and muttering “kill her kill her kill her...” Renee is going to slap that bitch if they both survive.)

“I do not abide disobedience. I abide failure even less.”

“Talk talk talk,” Renee retorts, because she never learned not to taunt the person about to kill her. He grins a grin that makes the Joker look friendly, and points the spear at her, shooting the same red angry power straight at her chest, just as he killed Cris.

Nothing.

Cain asks the same thing Renee was thinking “Ho do you yet live?”

She takes the opportunity while she can, and kicks him in the face; a move that accomplished two things: 1) a broken foot and 2) the opportunity for him to grab her by the throat.

“Oh no no no, little thing. You may be immune to its power, but its blade will cut you just the same.”

And once again, Renee is about to be killed. Time for another last minute rescue.

Someone?

Anyone?

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Wait, what's going on, right now? Renee forces her eys open and looks for Helena's - it's hard to make out emotions under the Huntress mask, but she knows it's almost impossible with her own, but this - this doesn't make sense.

But then the Radiant is contradicting her. It did work. She's done it.

The Radiant places one hand into the hole in Renee's stomach and light streams out of her, into Renee. It feels like nothing she's ever felt before, and the sudden absense of pain is disorientating.

She grabs Helena's hand to help herself up to a seated position. Too much is going on, but the important thing is what she's just seen behind the Radiant.

Standing as clear as if he were alive in the raincoat and suit he used to wear day in, night out on the streets, Crispus Allen is handing the Spear to the Spectre.

"As God commands. Let what we have done be undone. Let that which was made is reformed! Let that which was stolen be returned!"

He's back. The Specter - Cris - is back. And his words have power which reach out beyond them. Renee knows this won't undo anti-life. It won't stop Darkseid, it won't even help Kate or Jim or Maggie or Stacie, but it will heal the cracks in the world formed when the Spectre spoke the Equation. And that's what matters.

Well that, and shooting a look towards Huntress. What is going on over there?

Well Renee will have to wonder about that later because Cain, having beaten his three attackers to a bloody pulp, turns his attention to the Spectre.

"Kill him! Kill them all!!!" he screams to his followers, and Batwoman and Catwoman rush at the Spectre.

Without even looking at them, he holds out a hand and the two women are met with a wall of bright white light which throws them to the ground, knocking them unconscious.

"You who submitted against your will, I can neither save nor rebuke until the spell is ended," the Spectre says, his eyes glowing blue in the reflection of the light (at least Helena thinks it's only the reflection...) "But those of you who choose your evil and bent your knee in service to Cain and his false god... you have been judged...

And found wanting."

The Spectre levels his hand at the crowd gathered behind Cain and in white-blue flames they are burnt to nothing more than dust.

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Genesis 3:19

...That's the Order of the Stone gone, then. All of Renee's problems of the last year or so solved in one gesture from her dead best friend.

"No," says Cain, and tries to scream, but the Spectre silences him with - not just a word, but literally by sewing his mouth together. Rneee forces herself to watch.

As for the Radiant - the boys who murdered sister Clarice lie at her feet, still dying from their attempts to delay Cain.

"Hush now," she says, easing their pain with one touch that also closes their eyes. "Go in peace. All has been forgiven."

Renee wonders if she'd ever be able to forgive like the Radiant forgives. Maybe no human can.

"That is why God forbade me ot punish them. So they might truly earn your mercy. But this one shall have no such redemption. You may speak."

With his voice returned, Cain has nothing but anger. "I have no want of your mercy! No fear of your vengeance! My god is the greater, and you will serve him again. You will..."

"Your petty master will face his reckoning soon enough. Your fate remains undecided."

"You cannot kill me! God forbids it."

"There are worse things than death, Cain."

Renee is, just from his tone of voice, very very glad he's on her side.

"From this moment forth, your mask is stripped away. There will be no place to hide, no succor to be found. And all who gaze upon you will see your Mark, and know you for what you are. And you shall find no peace nor safety until God grants you otherwise."

And Vandal Savage, with the Mark of Cain still burning in his face, is teleported away from Gotham. Where, Renee cannot guess.

In the Spectre's hand, the Spear looks wet. Something is dripping off it.

"What is that?" Renee asks. "That's not blood."

"Tears," replies the Spectre - replies Cris, the boundary between them suddenly hard to make out.

"Hnnh." Cris's gaze drifts to the sky and he becomes distracted.

"We are summoned," explains Sister Clarice, bowing her head to Helena and Renee. "Your service will long be remembered."

"Yeah," Helena replies wryly, as Cris once again becomes robed in the garb of the Spectre, "I got stabbed real good."

"Not as good as me," Renee says, smirking under her faceless mask. She's nearly died more times in the last few hours than she hs in her life to date.

"Renee," Cris says, still holding the Spear. "I will never forget what you did for us. The peace you have brought us."

Renee taps the brim of her hat and watches the light as it fades. It's not over, she knows, but it feels like the tide has turned.

"Okay, tell," Helena says to Renee when the Radiant and the Spectre have disappeared.

"When you had the Spear, you did something. I thought you where going to bring him back to life, but that's not it, is it? So what'd you do?"

"You know what," Renee says, readjustinng her hat. "That's a good question."

It's quiet right now, on Cathedral Ave. The anti life zombies, no longer controled by Cain, have shuffled off somewhere that's less threatening. There are people in the Cathedral that still need their help, so it's there that Renee turns.

"Come on, you've got to tell me!" Helena begs, trailing after Renee.

"I got stabbed for you!"

"All part of the plan," Renee says.

It's partly a lie. It wasn't necessarily part of her plan.

The Cathedral is still filled with people, less immediately terrified now, and milling about aimlessly. They have faith, at least, that people like Renee and Helena will see them through it.

"What plan? You never even had a plan."

She pauses in the doorway, looking around at the people gathered there.

Where do we start?

"C'mon, Huntress."

Renee doesn't much care where they start. It's going to require a lot of work, and if more of them come back to the Cathedral there might not be anything they can do.

But they'll still do it.

"There's always a plan."

And somewhere, presumably in the Gotham Heights house that Dore and Jake Allen are staying in right now, part of a family is being reuinited.

That is, if The Radiant was right, and Renee's attempts to revive Malcolm Allen have worked.

Helena laughs humourlessly at Renee's assertion that she had a plan, but she lets it drop. Her Renee wouldn't tell her either; she told Helena barely anything about their first meeting outside of the bar.

Renee never said it was her plan. Have a little faith, Helena.

"So - I'd better get going. Checkmate say they got plans for me. Can you hold this fort, you think?"

Helena frowns. Anything involving Checkmate is not to be trusted: Helena is still tied to them for that deal she made for Batman. She's just waiting for that to come back and bite her in the ass.

"Plans?"

It'll be fine, Helena tells herself, She'll be fine. You know she isn't going to get hurt too badly. You don't have to worry about her.

But that is easier said than done.

"Yeah," Renee replies, shifting her hat to give her a better view of Huntress and the meaning behind that question. "Something about recruiting more help for this apocalypse we're in the middle of. Keeping the Spear from being activates was Job One. Hope the next one is more successful."

Helena nods. Can't say no to saving the world, really.

"Go," she says, turning away from Renee, not wanting to watch her go. "I'll handle things here."

Renne nods, and starts to do that.

Before she turns back.

"He...y, Huntress."

She manages not to drop names at the wrong moment, at least.

"Yeah?" she asks, reflexively looking back over her shoulder.

Are we OK?

Why have you been looking at me that way?

So, you're not a complete homophobe then?

Give me a clue here!

...

"Do I get out of this alive?"

Helena pauses wondering if she should answer the question or not.

Then she sighs and nods.

"Assuming we haven't changed anything? Yeah, you do," she says and she can't help the soft smile that accompanies that statement. Helena's past; Renee's future: she has it all to look forward to.

It's not as much of a relief as Renee hoped it would be. She's going to survive, fine. But it's going to be a Hell of a fight to get there.

"Thanks," says The Question.

"I guess I'll see you on the other side, then."

She knocks her hat down over her eyes again, ready to head out.

"Yeah," she agrees, "see you on the other side."

If Helena were a different woman, one not so in control of her own body and her actions, she wouldn't let Renee go without an embrace, but in this place at this time, it wouldn't be appropriate.

But she can't let Renee leave without saying something to her, without letting Renee know that she feels something

"Go easy on me okay? I'll come around."

...Huh.

Renee takes second to stare at Helena, surprised, and relieved more than she was at the first.

Then she grins against the mask.

"Alright. I'll be gentle."

But for now - she really has to go.

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Final Crisis: God is dead

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