No Such Thing As [Fate]

[Thaal Sinestro]

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[atrb=background,http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x126/Gotta_love_gits/Sinestro/random%20images/greenmiddle.png] It was another day and Sinestro was back on his feet. Alright, so technically he wasn’t supposed to be, but he wasn’t really one who could lie around for days on end, waiting to recover. It wasn’t that long ago that he had fallen ill with an earth illness known as ‘the flu’. Or, at least that was what they had been calling it at first. He honestly wasn’t sure what he had ended up coming down with. Whatever it was, it had knocked him right out of his socks, stranding him in bed. It hadn’t been a very good feeling, and he’d dealt with the irritation of having other people see him in such a sorry state. Not exactly his best moment in life. Perhaps that was why he was feeling so inclined to get out and do something. Anything was better than lying in bed, living with that kind of humiliation. Anyway, he was only feeling a little under the weather at that point. Perhaps a mild fever and some residual weakness from the peak of the virus spreading through his system. In a few days, he would be back to normal. Why not kick that off a little early? He patrolled the skies of Metropolis, looking for any kind of crime that he could deal with. There wasn’t anything specific that had called him to the area, he had merely been flying around and that was the current city he had found himself flying over. There seemed to be some crime to its name, as well. While not on Gotham City levels, he imagined such a place would have its own strong level of chaos within it. Funny how the cities that homed heroes seemed to be the ones that most needed them. Or was it because they were there that the trouble had increased? His head hurt too much to think about it. It didn’t hurt so much that he couldn’t see a bank robbery in progress on the streets below, however. It was a bold attack, an explosion in the side of the structure the main escape for a small group of masked, heavily armed men. Sinestro sighed. Always trouble- humans didn’t know how to exist with one another. They barely seemed to know how to exist at all. Lowering himself to the scene, the first thing he did was use his ring to capture the men in a large bubble. They were firing off their guns in a rage, but it did nothing to help them escape. The police that were just entering the scene, too late to have been any use, watched as the Green Lantern brought the humans over to them. The bubble seemed to have had a sudden lack of air occur inside, the men having all passed out from being unable to breathe. However, he didn’t leave them in there long enough to kill then, the bubble releasing them in front of the officers. “You should be quicker,” he informed them bitterly. “Thank you! You stopped them,” said one of the braver officers, “you’re a Green Lantern, aren’t you?” “Yes,” Sinestro said shortly. “Thank you,” said the cop again, “things could have been so much worse if you had-“ “Enough. Just learn to take better control of your own problems and I wouldn’t have to waste my time with petty things like this,” Sinestro growled at the surprised officers. He was certainly not as friendly as the other ‘hero types’ they had encountered. The red-skinned alien floated away from them at that, using the power of his ring to recreate the bank. Any damage the building had taken was removed, restoring the structure to its former beauty. The police could handle the potentially injured and putting the money back. His headache was getting worse.

[Kent "Doctor Fate" Nelson]

Fate had seen the whole thing take place. For that was his curse. Everything, everywhere, everyone. That was his power. To forever see. He had seen something that piqued his interest. A pink-skinned alien. He was not like other extraterrestrial souls he had seen. He had no belief in magic. Just logic. It saddened him slightly. Fewer people nowadays had the capacity to believe in magic. But it brought him a strange feeling of satisfaction when he could prove them wrong by turning their smartphone into a hamster. That was just a little indulgence he allowed himself. Just that one occasional slip into chaos.

Still, this "Sinestro" intrigued him. Not only did his name smack of villainy, but he seemed to be driven by his own will, which, Fate could detect, was very powerful. He would need to keep an eye on this alien. He had a strong will, but if it was left unchecked, it could run amok, and all would be lost. Fate stood up, and his entire form was engulfed in a great glowing ankh shape, hovering behind him. In a flash of light, he had vanished from the top of Fate's Tower, in order to meet this "Sinestro".

On a street corner near the bank, Fate reappeared, keeping his eyes trained on Sinestro. Wearing his full costume, cape, helmet and all, he stuck out from the crowd like a sore thumb. Some gave him strange looks, but he did not pay them any heed. It was Sinestro that he gave his entire attention to.

[Thaal Sinestro]

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[atrb=background,http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x126/Gotta_love_gits/Sinestro/random%20images/greenmiddle.png] Sinestro finished repairing the building, looking it over to make sure every piece was perfectly restored. But, he wasn’t worried- he never left things half finished when he started something. The building was fine, and the police were busy controlling the area and getting the criminals loaded into their cars. They seemed to know what they were doing, even if they were very late in actually doing it. Sinestro imagined that had more to do with their transportation than their competence, given the poorly designed, primitive vehicles they carted themselves around in. Still, if they weren’t so busy killing one another, they would have made better progress in their own evolution. So they were to blame after all. Sighing discontentedly, Sinestro floated away from the scene, interested in making his escape before the media showed up. A previous encounter with those sharks had made it known to him that they knew of his past, and that they weren’t afraid to call him on it. The fallen lantern, that’s what he was. A murderer and a monster to most who knew of him. And they weren’t wrong. The only thing they were wrong about was thinking he had done all his so-called crimes just to rule. No, he had wanted peace. He had done those things to get rid of the problem areas. It just.. hadn’t gone as planned. Annoyed, he turned to leave, stopped by a flash of light and the appearance of a strangely dressed man. Tilting his head, the red-skinned alien crossed his arms belligerently over his chest, watching the other with a bit of a scowl. “And who are you supposed to be?” He demanded, fairly certain that this guy hadn’t just popped up randomly. He was there for a reason, and since the bank had already been saved, he suspected it had something to do with him. But this guy was no reporter.

[Kent "Doctor Fate" Nelson]

"To answer your question, I am Doctor Fate." Fate said, not betraying the slightest of emotions. "I have been interested in you, Thaal Sinestro." A bit of an overstatement, but not far from the truth. "I have seen your past, your present, and your future." All at the same time, no less. "You carry a heavy burden." He did not wish he could help. He didn't want to find himself carrying the same burden as this one. The Weaponers of Qward, the Blackest Night, the...everything that had happened in this one's life. It was quite an emotional ride, no doubt. It wasn't something he was too keen to experience.

"I have seen every thing in your life, and what it has made you." he opened his palm as he said this, and a bright, glowing ankh appeared. "I am here to restore faith in magic." He knew what would come next. Sinestro would say there was no such thing as magic, and Fate would have to run around proving him otherwise. Not from the helmet, just centuries of practice. It would take him all day and all night, but it would restore faith in magic. And really, that was the high point.

[Thaal Sinestro]

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[atrb=background,http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x126/Gotta_love_gits/Sinestro/random%20images/greenmiddle.png] Sinestro frowned, interested only because the man happened to know his full name. Not something he often offered to people- most people thought Sinestro was the only name he had. Though claiming to know everything about him, past present and future, was a little hard for the alien to swallow. Perhaps the name “Doctor Fate” had something to do with it. More than his disbelief in magic, Sinestro did not believe in things like ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’. Even having seen into the book of black, and the prophecies he had already lived through weren’t enough to sway his position. Telling the future and claiming it was all pre-planned were two different things in his mind. The future could be altered. They had proven it themselves during the blackest night. When the man proclaimed he had come to restore his faith in magic, Sinestro could have laughed. He might have, were he anyone else. Being the stubborn, rude man that he was, however, he simply glared at the man, clearly annoyed by his being there. As if police who expected heroes to do all the work weren’t bad enough, now he had to deal with a crazy in a cape. “I don’t have time for this foolishness,” Sinestro growled, “what difference does it make whether or not I believe in magic? It is worthless in either regard.” He watched the other, observing him more carefully than his annoyed look indicated. His ring told him the man had high power, and his energies were very foreign. Unknown, even. His ring could not detect what kind of power the man was displaying, only that there was a great quantity of it.

[Kent "Doctor Fate" Nelson]

"You are INCORRECT!" Fate's voices boomed like thunder as he was surrounded in a great golden aura. The serenity that had encompassed him previously was gone. This Sinestro had insulted magic. That was not a good thing to do in the presence of a Lord of Order. "It is not wise to trifle with a sorcerer. We are of little patience and of great power." The aura dissipated, and Fate returned to normal. "I have seen that you have seen the prophecies of the book of the black. A very powerful force. And a very dangerous one. You are lucky to have survived."

Fate was all-knowing. Of course he knew what the book of the black was meant for. During the blackest night, he had retreated into the Dreaming. The state between life and death. It was from here he had observed the events unfold. Sworn only to observe. Never to interfere. That, and he didn't like to admit this point, but Nekron was probably beyond even his power. He was death incarnate. The primal darkness at the beginning of the universe. It was scary to think of. Kent Nelson mentally shivered at the thought, but Nabu comforted the old man.

"You do not believe now. We accept that." Fate nodded. "But you will. One day, you will understand how important the magic is to our universe. That, we have seen as well."

[Thaal Sinestro]

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[atrb=background,http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x126/Gotta_love_gits/Sinestro/random%20images/greenmiddle.png] Sinestro frowned. The book of black- he remembered his various encounters with it. Trapping him within its pages, keeping him locked in his memories without him even realizing he had been imprisoned. Until his will power broke him free from the trance, naturally. It had been interesting, being able to traverse through pages and learn things about other people. They had all thought their worlds very real. If he hadn’t been so interested in escape, he might have taken some time to explore. “I was not lucky,” Sinestro informed him, “the power of our rings could not be toppled by something as simple as a book.” He was indignant about it, annoyed that someone would think his power could not over come something so simple. Though he had needed a bit of help, if he was honest. Still frowning, Sinestro was still far from trusting towards the other, ready to fight him if need be. “I will not be toyed with,” he informed the other, his tone still skeptic, “I’m sure you have seen many things, but fate is not something that cannot be altered- we defied the prophecy in the book of black. We changed the outcome that had been written. There is no such thing as things like magic and fate- we make our own paths.” He knew the man was powerful, he wasn’t going to deny that, but he wouldn’t say it was magic. That was just foolish. This man, whoever he was, could not possibly know the futures of everyone. It had to be impossible.

[Kent "Doctor Fate" Nelson]

No arguing with that. They had defied the book of the black's prophecies during the Blackest Night. All of them had. And that was all he was using to deny Fate's power. It was a bit of a flimsy defence, just using one instance. "You may not believe in magic or, but you cannot deny that they both exist, and have presence on this plane of existence." Perhaps Sinestro believed, like a raucous youth he had once met, that he merely employed technology and "Dumbledored it up" to fool his enemies. How very wrong they both were, if that was what Sinestro believed.

Until now, Fate had never given in to his ego, but Sinestro was pushing him. Dark days were coming, and if skeptics like Sinestro populated the physical world, it was no wonder the world was slowly falling into madness. If he could just be given a chance to heal the wounds that the recent events had created. No, doing so would require extraordinary belief from others. "You may believe that now, Thaal Sinestro of Korugar." Fate said, in the most benevolent tone he could muster "Soon, you will change your beliefs. You will rise higher than any Green Lantern has before. And in doing so events will be set into motion that not even you can contain."

[Thaal Sinestro]

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[atrb=background,http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x126/Gotta_love_gits/Sinestro/random%20images/greenmiddle.png] Sinestro frowned. He was certain he could deny whatever he wanted, and he wasn’t going to let some stranger tell him otherwise. Magic- it had to have some kind of explanation. Everything could be explained. Unknown events were simply called mystical because their roots had not been explored enough. Even this man’s impressive powers could likely be explained with some study. There was no reason to hold to such foolish notions as magic and fate. No one needed a guiding light in this world. They were alone and just needed to deal with their issues without hoping for something greater than what was there in front of them. He twitched slightly as Fate spoke, his anger getting the better of him yet again. “Don’t presume to know me or the lanterns,” he snarled, “I am already the greatest among them- I do not need you to tell me of that. And if you really do know what’s going to happen, why don’t you just stop these events from occurring, if they are so troubling to you that you felt the need to bother me about it.” He watched the other, pretty much glaring. “Or you could at least be a little more specific. Just what’s going to happen that’s supposed to change my beliefs? What are these events you’re concerned about?” He imagined he wouldn’t get the answers he sought, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?

[Kent "Doctor Fate" Nelson]

"The Blackest Night has passed, but the worst is yet to come." Fate said ominously. "Have you noticed the influx of supermen? Something is wrong with the universe." It had happened before. Long long ago. The universes had melded, and Fate had become bonded with the sorcerer supreme of the other universe in a chaotic almalgam called "Doctor Strangefate". He was glad that particular melding had been sorted out. He didn't like being melded with another sorcerer. Especially one with powers that almost, ALMOST, met his own. This universal melding was different. There seemed to be no way to reverse it this time. They were stuck this way. And now Fate was getting more visions than ever. Visions of futures most chaotic in nature.

"You call yourself the mightiest of the Green Lanterns, but you were not always a Green Lantern. You were against them once. Beware your former allies, especially the toungeless one. They believe betrayal has been played on your part. Revenge with a slash of fear mixed in. A most potent mixture." He wasn't trying to be intimidating this time. He meant every word of it. He was even feeling...dare he say...slightly protective of this alien. His former allies wanted revenge on him. It was a cruel irony.

[Thaal Sinestro]

Though it annoyed him to have this guy pretending to see into the future, telling him to be careful of things in a cryptic, round-about sort of fashion, he had to admit that he was just a little interested in what the other had to say to him. This talk of fate meant little to him, but he would heed even foggy warnings concerning his former crew, especially since he had mentioned one quite distinctly.

“Arkillo? He would follow me, even now. But I suppose it doesn’t hurt to be careful.” What was he doing? Letting this guy get to him, even to a small degree. It meant he actually thought there was some merit to what the guy was saying to him. That he might actually believe this being could see things along one line. That destiny was somehow foreseeable. He didn’t believe it was Atrocitus, and he shouldn’t believe it with this Dr. Fate character, either.

But a part of him did. Probably the same part that had given some belief to the blackest night way back when.

Man, it felt like an eternity ago- maybe he was getting old.

“But you still didn’t answer my questions,” he hummed after a moment, “perhaps you’re just trying to distract me from that.”

[Kent "Doctor Fate" Nelson]

"Believe us, we would distract from the question unless it were necessary." Fate said. "Consider the daughter of Trigon, Pride. You know of her, do you not? She is a child of Trigon, an entity born of magic. Like her fater, she possesses great power, but left unchecked, it can bring about a great disaster. You will witness her power soon enough. If that is not enough to convince you of the existence of magic, then other opportunities will arise. For that is our curse. We see the fate of every man, woman and child under this world's sun."

He used "curse" instead of "power" because that's what it felt like. No sane man would actually want the never-ending stream of visions, all of which foretold a grim, bitter future for everyone. Everyone except him. He didn't think that because he had an ego, oh no. Nabu had learned to supress his ego long ago, and Kent was a humble man. It was actually more about him not being able to see his own fate. In all honesty, he did not know what fate had in store for him.

Still, he doubted Sinestro would react to any visions from the far future, even if he did share them. No, another tactic was needed here. "For example" he said "I know that you will stop listening to us halfway through these coming sentences. You will then think that we are a fool, and make an attempt to silence us. After that, the future is dark."

[Thaal Sinestro]

Sinestro frowned. Seeing the fate of everyone- if it was true, it seemed like an immense power to have to bear alone. Still, Sinestro couldn’t say he WAS convinced. It was easy enough for anyone to say something, but actually proving it was something else entirely. He didn’t know anyone named Pride, but if he ever happened to meet someone and see their power, perhaps he would be inclined to believe the guy. Even then, though, it seemed unlikely. Sinestro could make his ring travel time with enough effort, so it wasn’t impossible to find things out from the future and bring them back to the present.

And he wasn’t ‘magical’ in the slightest. Nor was it ‘fate’ to predict such things.

“Is it really a curse to see everyone fate? I can’t imagine what that kind of power feels like, but it seems… intriguing. If it were true, anyway. Then again, I still don’t know what to make of you, so perhaps it is a burden to be completely insane.” He shrugged his shoulders. If someone was wandering around saying ‘we’ instead of ‘I” then he couldn’t be completely normal, now could he? Not that he understood the slightest thing of the man’s unusual power. If he did, they wouldn’t be there.

Sinestro hadn’t been listened as Nabu started to talk, and looked a little surprised by the time he had managed to slip back into focusing on the man. Well, he hadn’t been wrong- he had thought about silencing the nut job and moving on with things. But… it seemed like that tactic wouldn’t fly, considering it had been obvious enough to be seen coming by the other.

“Fine, so I’m not subtle,” he grunted, “but you being right doesn’t mean anything.” He sighed, his thoughts floating back to what the man had said before. “So you see everyone’s future. How do decide whose lives to interfere with, like this, and whose just get to live out their fates unknowing?”

[Kent "Doctor Fate" Nelson]

"We see everyone's fate, but our own." Fate elaborated. "That is sealed off. We are forbidden to know our future. That is our only limitation." And his only fear. Ironic, he could know what anyone in the universe would do before they did it, and he didn't know what he would do next, beyond his own choices. Maybe Sinestro had a point. The future was not written for the sorcerer Nabu, or the humble Kent Nelson. It was something his allies were keen to get rid of, and his enemies to exploit. Still, he didn't need to see into the future to tell that Sinestro was still as skeptic as ever.

"Perhaps this will convince you of our power." Fate said, his voices full of solemnity. Reacting quickly, he thrust one arm forward and grabbed Sinestro's forehead. Contact had been made. Now he directed a small part of his power into Sinestro's mind. He too would experience the visions. The fates of billions upon billions of living beings. Just on a smaller scale to how he saw them. The contact was only temporary, then he let go. "To answer your previous question, we only itervene when someone has a part to play in the grand tapestry of history."

[Thaal Sinestro]

Sinestro would have pulled back and gotten quite pissy about being touched at all, had the visions not struck him so quickly. Before he could really react to getting grabbed, his eyes widened, shock taking him over as his mind was flooded with images. Suddenly, it felt like he could see nothing and everything all at once, the futures of some innumerable amount of people flashing in front of him. Only one experience had been close to it, and that had been when he had peered into the book of black some time ago. The images had flashed in front of him then, too. But it had been more than he could process, and he had only gotten fragmented pictures to try and sift through.

Somehow, this felt different. Stronger, even, than the mighty book had bestowed upon him so accidentally.

When it was over, he let out a little gasp, moving a hand to his forehead and taking an awkward step back. He needed a moment. Just to make sure everything he was seeing was actually in front of him, and not the product of the magic. Magic? It was strange to even think about, but that was indeed the first thing that had come to mind, despite his desire to be skeptic.

“Could have warned a guy before doing something like that,” he muttered, looking back at the man at long last, “so that is what you see? All fates except your own? But if you want to know it, why not just do that to someone else, so they can tell you?” He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know his future, mostly because he still didn’t believe it couldn’t be changed. However, it was said that those who sought to change their fate only ended up meeting it.