LexCorp dominated the market, offering the best of the best when it came to tech and goods—though many didn't trust the company. On the other hand, Wayne Enterprises, while not as advanced, was widely respected and trusted by the public.
As Alex drove home, a sudden alert blared from his phone. Brow furrowed, he glanced at the screen. There were no words—just a live feed.
A massive red demon, towering like a mountain, was casually walking across the landscape. The Justice League was already on the scene, doing everything they could to stop it… But they were barely slowing it down.
Alex suddenly sensed danger. This wasn't something he could dodge. He knew, instinctively, that he'd have no choice but to kill. But first, he wanted to understand what was coming. He looked around, scanning for the source.
Then, the world went dark. Everyone nearby, including Alex, turned their eyes to the sky—only to see an enormous foot, vast as the heavens, descending toward them. It was the demon. One moment it hadn't been there… the next, it was. The speed was unreal.
"Yes!" an old man cried out in twisted joy, arms stretched wide as the shadow engulfed him. It was like he welcomed it. Alex gave the man a sharp look—then turned away in disgust, catching sight of the disturbing tent forming in the old man's pants
Alex sighed, ready to kill the demon, until a red blur suddenly swept him off his feet. It moved with insane speed, yanking him far from the danger zone before dashing back to rescue others. The speed caught Alex completely off guard, halting his instincts mid-action.
Boom.
The massive foot slammed into the ground with earth-shaking force, crushing everything beneath it—including Alex's PC. The one thing he had just spent nearly his entire paycheck on.
Alex's eyes went blank as he stared at the destruction. He didn't even register the fact that the demon had paused. But the moment it began scanning its surroundings, its gaze soon landed squarely on him.
"Bastard," Alex said through gritted teeth, glaring up at the demon with pure hatred. That PC was worth over 20 grand—and it had been crushed before he even got the chance to turn it on.
"Who…" Trigon began, his deep voice rumbling across the sky, only to suddenly freeze. Then, without warning, his massive body collapsed.
The world went silent. Trigon, one of the most feared demons in existence, was dead. Everyone, including the heroes, stood frozen in stunned confusion, unsure of what had just happened.
"What happened?" Wonder Woman asked, her voice laced with confusion. Trigon had shrugged off everything they threw at him—and now, without warning, he'd dropped dead.
Superman floated beside her, silent for a moment as he stared toward the spot where Trigon's gaze had been fixed just before his death.
"Right before it happened… Trigon looked afraid," Superman finally said. "He sensed something, or someone, down there."
Wonder Woman followed his gaze, her expression hardening. Just then, a Boom Tube opened with a flash of light. From it emerged Cyborg, Raven, and the rest of the team that had descended into Hell to help stop Trigon. They stepped through, only to freeze as they took in the sight of the fallen demon.
"…What happened?" Raven asked quietly, floating into the sky, her eyes fixed on the lifeless body of her father. Shock filled her voice—Trigon was dead, and she had no idea how.
She paused for a moment, then began casting a spell, determined to uncover the cause of his sudden death. Her eyes snapped open mid-cast, head turning sharply toward the crowd below.
She couldn't see who it was, Alex was just one face among hundreds, but something down there had triggered her spell.
"Something down there… is the Grim Reaper, pretending to be human," Raven whispered in horror, slowly floating back.
Her words hung heavy in the air. Everyone around her began glancing at one another, tension building. Normally, such a claim would've been brushed off as superstition or fear. But this was Trigon.
Someone, or something, had killed a being powerful enough to shrug off the Justice League without breaking a sweat. And now that something was hiding among them.
They needed answers. Who was the Reaper? What did he want? Was he friend… or a terrifying new foe? Why now? Why here?
"…It disappeared. It doesn't want to be found," Raven said quietly, her brow furrowed. Whatever presence she had just sensed, it was still there. But now, it had learned to hide from her senses.
Down below, Wonder Woman's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Alex…" she murmured under her breath. She spotted him standing amidst the crowd, staring at the crater left by Trigon's massive foot. His expression wasn't angry or afraid, it was distant, hollow. Like someone mourning a personal loss.
She let out a soft sigh. Today was supposed to be the day Alex finally got himself a PC. Judging by the wreckage, it had been completely destroyed.
But the look in his eyes… it wasn't just about a ruined purchase. It was the same look someone wore after losing someone dear… and that left her speechless.
"I should leave…" Wonder Woman said softly. Alex was too sharp, too observant. She didn't want to risk him putting the pieces together and realizing she was Diana. Leaving the situation in the hands of Superman and the others, she quietly took off into the sky.
Meanwhile, the rest of the League descended to the ground. Raven moved among them, her eyes scanning the crowd, still trying to pinpoint the presence she had sensed, the Grim Reaper hiding in plain sight.
Her gaze swept over dozens of people before it finally landed on Alex. There was nothing overtly strange about him… except maybe how unnaturally perfect he looked, almost godlike in presence.
Still, something tugged at her instincts. There was something off about him. She just couldn't tell if it was her gut warning her, or if she was simply drawn to him thanks to his looks..
In the end, with nothing else to say, Raven could only shake her head at Superman. The Grim Reaper was hiding too well. If they wanted to find him, they'd have to catalog everyone present and monitor them quietly.
Luckily, that was something Cyborg could handle with ease. With a quick scan of the crowd, he pulled up the identities and data of every person present without issue. Once that was done, the League gave the all-clear—everyone was free to leave.
But Alex didn't. Instead, he walked straight toward the Flash, ignoring the furious glare of the old man nearby, who looked ready to kill, as if Flash had stolen his one true dream.
"When you grabbed me… the PC I just bought got crushed under that giant foot," Alex said, walking up to the Flash. "Along with my boss's car."
Only now did the full weight of that realization hit him. Diana's car. Flattened. How was he supposed to explain that? What if she fired him?
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyway… what I'm trying to say is, uh… is there anything I can do?"
The Flash waved it off with a smile. "No problem. Just call the company you bought the PC from. Even without a receipt, as long as you have proof of purchase, they'll usually refund you or give you a replacement. Some might need it to be under warranty or insured, though."
Alex nodded, grateful. "Thanks… What about the car?" Alex asked, a bit more hesitant this time.
Flash's eyes drifted for a moment, clearly unsure of what to say. Diana probably wouldn't care about the car, but explaining that? Not so simple.
"I think," Cyborg said, stepping forward, "you should talk to your boss directly about that."
Alex let out a quiet sigh and nodded, an uneasy look on his face. Without another word, he turned and pulled out his phone, opening his app to call an Uber. It was going to be a long ride back.
"Diana was bragging about him—said he seemed like a good kid," Flash said with a smile, before vanishing in a blur of red lightning.
He reappeared near Trigon's body, where Raven was in the middle of sealing the corpse into a crystal. Despite his death, she wasn't taking chances. With someone like Trigon, resurrection was always a possibility.
Later that night…
In the shadowed silence of the Batcave, Batman sat before the glow of the Batcomputer, reviewing the footage from just before Trigon's sudden death. One screen replayed the final moments of the demon's fall, slowed down frame by frame.
To the side, an image of Alex rested on the monitor, alongside older reports, incidents where people had mysteriously dropped dead, without cause or explanation.
"Subject: Alex. No last name."