A Talk With The Author

Bee was not having a good time.

They just wanted to help their kid, alright?! Hoku had been in danger, so what did they do? They stepped in! How were they supposed to know that this person was going to send them to another universe with an anti-meta collar on? God, hopefully Hoku was holding up without them.

Thankfully, they seemed to be in an isolated area. At least, they thought they were. Upon closer inspection, everything wasn’t just white like they had suspected, but it was…void. Like there was nothing there. No walls, no ceiling, no floor, just continuous space.

They sat there, internally panicking while they tried to get their bearings. Was Hoku okay? What If they also got sent to this…prison? Void? Whatever. Either way, that wouldn’t be good.

Slowly, Bee stood up and adjusted their mask, wincing as the movement tugged at new and reopened wounds. God, they were going to get an earful. As soon as they stood up, they heard a voice.

“What might you be doing here?” They whipped around, and found…a giant ball of light? Fuck, was this God trying to play some sick prank?

“Look, God, I’m not in the mood for whatever you’re planning right now. Could you leave?” They waved their hand, looking around to try and gauge what direction they should walk in. White on all sides. White everywhere.

“I’m not the God you are thinking of.” Great. Another universe’s God. Fun.

“Oh, wonderful, like I have time to meet yet another version of God,” they mumbled sarcastically, still not looking at the being.

“I am not Him. I am something far more powerful.” Okay, now that caught their attention. What the fuck were they? “Think of me as God’s…overseer.” Okay. Not even boss. Damn. Wait…

Bee groaned and rubbed their face. “Don’t tell me you’re an author.” Goddammit, they already had to deal with those fuckers in their head 24/7. Why did one have to fucking materialize? Let alone as a ball of light in a white room? They had blue eyes! Have you never heard of light sensitivity?!

As if on cue, the authors…grew oddly quiet. As if in…awe? Or were they afraid? Hopefully the first one.

The being chuckled, the light shifting slightly, as if they were covering their mouth or something. “In a sense, yes. I may not be your creator, but I have control over where your story goes from here.” Wait…

“Hang on-you control my story?”

“Yes.”

“So…why?”

“…Why what?” The being seemed oddly confused by this question. Had they…caught this author off guard? They weren’t really used to that happening. At all. What the fuck?

“Why did you make my life like this? Why have I lost everything?” All they had left was Hokie, Tortie and Jason. Tim was never around, the Batfamily was on…iffy terms with them. They didn’t have a team anymore since…the incident. Why was their life loss after loss after loss?! Did this fuckwad of an author get off on their pain or something? Like those authors in the back of their mind that always whispered heinous ideas for the others? It always seemed like one step forward and them a shove a hundred steps back.

“Is it me? Am I just a bad person? Am I not meant to have them? Or is this your sick version of a test? Of entertainment?” Their voice was cracking now. They were angry. And upset. And guilty. And…they were many things. But mostly they were just…tired. They were so, so tired. “Is it really my fault?” They whispered, slowly lowering to the ground and curling in on themself. God, they were only eighteen. Other eighteen year olds were worrying about college and jobs, and here they were, worrying about if everyone they loved would slip through their fingers yet again.

“…This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.” Bee lifted their head, looking miserable. “You were…you were supposed to shout. To attack me. To get angry. But instead you’re just…so small.”

Bee felt like they were six all over again, sitting in the social worker’s car and cradling a sobbing Finch. They were watching out the window as buildings flew past and grew closer together. They were small and curled up and had no idea what to do. They just wanted their mom and dad back.

But Bee wasn’t six. Finch was dead. Their parents were dead. They couldn’t go to someone for comfort right now, because Tortie was away on a “mission,” Jason was with the Outlaws, Tim was never around anymore, and everyone else was dead. Plus, they were supposed to be the witty, cheerful one. The one that was violent, but with a flourish and a dramatic bow. The one with a twinkle in their eye.

They had been finding it harder and harder to dredge up that twinkle.

“Please tell me that Hoku will be okay. Please tell me that I’m not going to lose my baby,” they whispered, and they were genuinely scared. They didn’t want to lose someone else. They didn’t want to be the only one left. They had done that before, and they never wanted that again.

“I…Hoku will be fine. Don’t worry.” Bee sobbed in relief, nodding.

“And…and Tortie and Jason?” They were desperate now, grasping at straws. They just wanted some semblance of normal. Something stable they could count on to come back to them.

“They will also be fine. Your family will be safe.” Bee nodded, taking a shaky breath to try and steady themself. Thank God.

“Tell me…why don’t you worry about yourself? I’ve always been curious about that. You throw yourself into danger without a regard for your life just to protect the people you love. How does that make sense?”

“I…I guess I just…I want them to live more than I fear death. I’ve already seen so much of it. Experiencing death can’t be more painful than seeing it, can it?”

The being seemed to nod, taking in the words quietly. “…and you don’t think that that’s bad?” The being was confused again. What was so confusing about that?

“Well, it’s bad that I have to go so far to protect my family, but I don’t think it’s bad that I want to protect them. They’re all I have now. They’re my world. I guess…I guess I’m a sap, if we’re putting it bluntly. If they get to live but I had to die, then I did my job as their family member.”

The being nodded again, holding out…an appendage? A ray of light? Whatever. They held out something to help Bee stand up. And Bee took it.

“Let me show you something.” Bee nodded and followed them, walking through the void carefully. Eventually, they came to a…mirror? “Look in it and tell me what you see.”

Bee looked in the mirror, and they saw…death. Destruction. So much pain and carnage. And there, surrounded by bodies was…

“Hoku?” They whispered, gently touching the glass. What had happened to their baby? Oh god, Tortie was joining them.

“What the hell happened to them?” They asked, looking at the being desperately. What did they need to do to prevent this?

“You died. And they thought they could prevent it. So, to get revenge, they started killing every single person who did you wrong. It started small. But it slowly snowballed, and now everyone lives in fear. They both became warlords. All in your name.” Bee turned back to the mirror, staring at the scene.

Then, the glass rippled, and it changed. Now they were staring at…Finch? But he was…older. Sharper. Colder.

“In this world, you died instead of him. You were there on time and took his beating, as always. But, this time, it ended in your death. Finch swore revenge and ran to the streets. The LOA saw him and thought him and his abilities would be useful. He became a revered assassin under the LOA, and now works to avenge you.” Bee shook their head, eyes locked on the mirror. What the hell?

“No. No. Hoku, Finch, and Tortie wouldn’t do anything like that. They’re-they care too much. Finch especially!”

The being sighed, shaking their head. “Metaverse, you only ever saw on facet of them. You don’t know what could happen if the thing they care for gets ripped away. It would break them.”

“What the hell was the point in showing me all of that?!” They whirled around, glaring at the being and clenching their fists. “What was the point?! To show me that my family isn’t made of good people? News Flash! I knew that!”

“It was to show you what happens if you keep going the way you are, Bee.” Bee paused, glare faltering. “If you keep going into fights without a survival mindset, you will die. And it will break the people who love you.”

“…Then why make it so I have to do that in the first place?” They whispered, trying to maintain their composure.

The being sighed. “Life is a balance of suffering and joy. Your balance seems to lean more towards suffering. It is only because-”

“Shut. Up.” Bee whispered through clenched teeth. “You didn’t need to kill my friends. You didn’t need to take away my family. You didn’t need to kill a seven year old!”

The being was silent for a moment before sighing and waving a hand. “You should go check on Hoku.” Bee felt the weight of the anti-meta collar leave their neck, and the authors instantly flooded back into their head, causing them to cringe slightly. “Go. Be the parent you wanted to have.” Bee didn’t have to be told twice. A blink, and they were gone, back in the fight and backing up Hoku.

They tried not to think about their encounter much. But if they started being less self-sacrificing? That was nobody’s business but their own.