While the jeep drove into the snow, Beatle and Prometheus sigh while the others laughed and enjoyed singing old songs like "Mundo" or "Takubets".
Prometheus sighs while he does some erratic movements with his fingers. "Hey... I'm sorry for goating you to kill me."
"We both know we hate ourselves." Beatle observes what Prometheus is doing, realizing it might be a spell unique to Prometheus.
"We both know I had the chance to save my world, so many... and I ran... Because I was afraid, Beatle. I had a utopia. I had authority. I had power..."
"But it wasn't over your own... It was over Americans... The people you chose to rule over were rebound people. They're just... your rebound."
"I thought you hated me because I treated my own status as a joke. I'm a walking meme."
"That's you talkin'. I hate you because you're a coward."
"I was never a warrior."
"Warriors aren't born. They're forged. Like I was."
Prometheus sighs. "I'm sorry."
"For...?"
"Everything... You don't... deserve this..."
Beatle smiles. "That's the first time I heard you learned something..."
"What?"
"You took accountability for something you did... That's good..."
Prometheus smiles softly. "Thank you, master."
Beatle smirks. "Pro..." said Beatle. "We're here."
Beatle and Prometheus stand before the Splooge Factory.
"I thought we were here to escape," said Beatle. "This is the Splooge Factory."
Prometheus charges a Bubble Bomb.
"What... the hell are you doing?" asked Death Leopard.
"Blowing this place up..." said Prometheus.
Death Leopard realizes something. "Prometheus... Why are you here?"
"Beatle... Lemme tell you an underlying difference between you and I..."
"'You and me.' You'll kill... BILLIONS of people in that factory... They're all underground... Like ants... Their FAMILIES are there!"
"And what better way to flush them out by taking out the ant hill itself? This factory is a poison concocter. A concocter that pushes the Splooge into my Multiverse."
"And your solution is to kill them!?"
"My solution is to keep my GRANDSON, MIGUEL AZRAL, SAFE!!!"
"Prometheus... Stop this! There are children in that factory! That factory is a home!"
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"And I protect mine."
"Prometheus! PROMETHEUS!?!?! There are innocent... good men... just following orders!"
Prometheus' eyes quiver. "I was a man just following orders... Took a while to realize how many bodies I burned... killed... And then I remembered Lolo... and how that bitch told Dracul to kill him... Because you exist. Dracul was also a man just following orders." Prometheus turns to Beatle. "The Nazis I met long ago... And slaughtered... were men just following orders... Don't tell me they're good nor innocent. Each Splooge they put in a vial caused thousands of wars in my domain. DON'T EVEN THINK IT!!! Lemme tell you something about the Multiverse, Beatle... It's do or don't. No try's or maybe's. I was at the mercy of a disgusting monstrosity just 'following orders...' I remembered my own screams... and the loss of my masculinity in a single night..." Prometheus cries. "Never again."
Prometheus tosses the bomb only for Beatle to catch it and absorb it.
Prometheus growls. "Beatz... Don't... do this..."
Beatle takes out his Cain Marker.
Prometheus takes out his eskrima sticks. "BEATZ!!! PLEASE!!!"
"I had only one question the whole time during our adventure... 'WHY ARE YOU HERE!?!?'"
"To save my world," said Prometheus. "Save my family."
"You're committing genocide."
"That factory hunts and kills Aswangs for a living."
"That's their way. THEIR culture! They don't know any better! Aurora twisted them to believe it's right!"
Prometheus beats Beatle down. The others fight Prometheus but he simply slaps them away with ease.
Beatle grabs his blaster and blasts Prometheus away. "PROMETHEUS!!! YOU CAN'T... KILL THESE PEO-!!!"
The Splooge factory explodes in a massive nuclear explosion.
Beatle falls to his knees, horrified. "Those... in those buildings... were once my people..."
"Your people... Your weakness is you still have NO IDEA how much death I've seen because of them. I watched friends and family die because-..."
Beatle slammed his fist in Prometheus' cheek as a shockwave shook and eradicated the nuke's blast and smoke in an instant.
Beatle enters God-Mode Level 2, gaining pinkish hair and eyes.
"Prometheus..." said Beatle.
"While we were talking in the jeep... I actually planted the bubble bomb."
"You... killed people!!!"
"The factory's culture ran on genocide themselves."
"They didn't know..."
"The factory's culture ran ON GENOCIDE THEMSELVES!!!"
"You did what they did, too."
Prometheus began crying, falling to his knees. "I KNOW!!! YOU THINK I ENJOY THIS!?!? I HATE THIS JOB!!! AND YOU HATE IT, TOO!!! Master... Father... JOIN ME!!! We want the same thing! THIS IS WHAT MORNINGSTAR WANTS!!! Us to fail... Us to destroy EACH OTHER!!! You realize that I have an entire Multiverse to take care... and to protect it-..."
"I don't want to destroy you. I'm disappointed in you..."
"I LOST ONE OF MY CHILDREN, PROMETHEUS!!! DRACULA KILLED HAPPY!!! AND YOU THINK I ENJOY THIS JOB!?!?"
"I think you just committed genocide."
"So did they."
"What makes what you did any better? When I found you, you were a dolt... an rabbit trying to survive in the jungle... I gave you a family... I gave you a life... and you threw it all away."
Suddenly, Diana is behind both of them.
Beatle and Prometheus prepare to blast her away.
"Hold up... I would like to speak with both of you," said Diana.
Prometheus growls. "Not the time, child..."
Diana looks at the distance. "Huh... you bombed one of the Splooge factories."
"What?" asked Prometheus. "'One?'"
"Aurora has thousands of them all over the Solar System," said Diana.
Prometheus' eyes widen.
Beatle activates his Cain Marker. "Pro... Don't... you fucking dare..."
"Oh, shit... You two are fighting right now," said Diana.
"If you wanna side with us, STOP HIM!!!" roared Beatle, as Diana nodded and tried attacking Prometheus who bubbled her.
"NO!!!" roared Beatle, as he flew up only for Prometheus to stop his time.
Beatle breaks free of stopped time and beats Prometheus down over and over. "STOP THIS, PRO!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! WE ARE FAMILY!!! WE WERE FAMILY!!! When... I visited Superhero World... I saw how sad you were... Neurodivergent..."
"SHUT UP!!!"
"Scared... Alone... Misunderstood... You keep telling yourself something's wrong with you! PLEASE, PROMETHEUS!!!"
"SHUT UP!!! GET OFF OF ME!!!"
"What's wrong with you? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!"
Prometheus punches Beatle and cries, sobbing as he soars away into the asteroid belt.
Beatle sighs and stands up. "What do you want?" asked Beatle, turning to Diana.
"I can tell you how to get out of the capital. All we need is a portal," said Diana. "I need refuge."
"I will give it to you. But we must bargain for something else."
"What?"
"I want to speak with Aurora... in MY territory."
Everyone is horrified once more, hearing Beatle's words.