DC: Don't Utter A Word

Chapter 149:

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[Atrocitus - Injustice POV]

A new Red Lantern had risen in Sector 2814, one that somehow had been able to retain his cognitive abilities despite the ring's purpose to suppress all thought, leaving only anger, for I was to give them back their thought, should they prove worthy of such a gift.

This wasn't the only surprise this new lantern had brought to light. His power was without parallel; his rage and his desire for vengeance had turned him into a killing machine void of rationality, emotion, morality, or remorse.

Never in my long life had I seen such power, such rage.

I couldn't help but wonder what exactly had fueled such a monster to be born.

Be that as it may, even with all that overwhelming power that coursed through him like blood, all that burning rage, that crimson desire for justified vengeance that fueled his ever-growing power. He had lost.

But even in defeat.

His thirst for combat and desire for death and destruction against the one who wronged him was unyielding.

Which is why I had come to retrieve him instead of killing him.

This had been a difficult decision, mostly because of his ability to somehow resist the ring's forceful indoctrination, which makes all Red Lanterns succumb to the rage and hatred in their hearts until it is all that they know, an all-consuming need for revenge and destruction, in turn taking over their minds.

Making them mindless beasts.

He, however, had overpowered the ring's indoctrination.

At first, I wanted to kill him, for he represented a threat. But, while the threat he represented was true, his power was without peer. So, I decided to use him, to make him one of my fiercest warriors, the instrument of my vengeance against those who had wronged me.

"He seems stable," Morthu said as my newest lantern lay inside a stasis pod. Morthu was the closest doctor I had been able to find around sector 2574. "He would heal faster if you allowed me to take him out of the stasis."

I glared at the doctor, my eyes burning red. "He is not to be taken out of the stasis until I say so."

"Yes, as you wish, Lord Atrocitus." Morthu trembled before me, his fear palpable in the air.

"You are dismissed." I waved my hand dismissively, and Morthu bowed before scurrying away.

I then turned my attention back to the stasis pod, looking at the wounded man in front of me. While I understood the Doctor's concerns about his patient, taking him out of the stasis pod could prove to be a terrible mistake, for I still had no way to contain him should he rebel against him.

For that reason, I needed him out of commission as long as possible.

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[Morthu POV]

A few hours after Lord Atrocitus had left the patient's room, I entered to continue treating the patient alongside my assistants.

"His pulse is getting better," I said, smiling as I checked the charts, comparing his vitals from two hours ago to now. This was the first time I was treating a human, but based on the data Lord Atrocitus had given me, the readings I was getting were pretty normal.

Now time to check his neural activity.

Suddenly, as I moved to the computer, the stasis pod shattered with a loud crack as a hand burst out, catching me by the throat, forcing a single terrified grunt of pain and a gasp of fear from my young assistants.

For a few silent moments, I hung, imprisoned by the powerful grip of the one I had saved, as red glowing eyes stared at me.

"Who are you?" The patient growled, his voice deep and guttural. Though the voice didn't seem to come from his mouth, for it remained close as each word came.

I gasped for air, trying to speak, but the grip on my throat was too tight. I could feel my vision blurring as I started to lose consciousness. However, just as I was about to blackout, the grip on my throat released, and I crumpled to the floor, gasping for air.

"I am Morthu, a doctor currently in service of Lord Atrocitus." I managed to choke out, my voice raspy and weak.

"Atrocitus?" The patient questioned with a growl, his brow furrowed in confusion for a moment before realization hit him. "I see."

He then turned his attention to my assistants, who were still cowering in fear, and he approached them slowly, a predatory grin on his face.

"Please," I begged, "they've done nothing wrong."

The patient stopped and looked at me for a moment before shock and realization crossed his features. "What am I doing?..."

"You awoke," Atrocitus said from the doorway, his eyes narrowed in anger at me as he looked at the patient.

"I have no interest in joining your crusade," The patient said, his voice cold and detached. "I only want revenge against Superman."

"And I can help you with that," Atrocitus replied, his voice equally as cold. "But first, you must learn how to control your power."

Glaring at Lord Atrocitus, the patient bawled his hands into fists as a crimson-red aura appeared around him, cutting our breath. "Do I look like I need your help?! I could rip you apart before you could even process what happened!"

"I don't doubt that," Atrocitus said with a calm growl. "But if you can't control your power, then you'll never be able to defeat Superman. You lost because the overwhelming amount of rage you were producing started to take a toll on you."

"And you can help me?" The patient asked, his voice dripping with venom. "How generous of you. Cry me a river, I know who you are, and while your reasons to hate the guardians are just, you are not."

"Then, by all means, leave and die at the hands of the one that broke you," Atrocitus replied with a shrug. "But if you stay, I can help you harness your power and direct it towards defeating Superman."

The patient glared at Atrocitus for a few moments before finally sighing in resignation. "Fine, I will take you on that offer, but if you try, even for a second, to manipulate me, I will eliminate you on the spot. Am I clear?"

"I expect nothing less," Atrocitus grinned in response, seemingly pleased by the patient's threat.