Chapter Four: Paris Under Plague.
The Princess of the Amazons awoke in a bag, her hands bound tightly, and being jostled by what felt like tiny hands. The bag opened partially to allow her to see she was in some kind of dingy shack being taken to a tube.
"What is the meaning of this?" she cried.
The figures carrying her appeared to be the size of children although they looked anything but human. They ignored her pleas and her struggles as the brought her closer and closer to the tube.
"I demand you stop this at once or else," Diana roared as she was shoved in the tube.
She became stuck for a moment, given the narrow nature of the tube, and she felt those horrid little trolls push and poke at her backside in an attempt to force her down. Diana attempted to use her demigod strength as a means of breaking her bonds and from the tube but to no avail. Eventually the pushing of the little monsters had worked and Diana slid down the tube.
Needless to say it was an uncomfortable journey, and the end wasn't much better. Bursting forth from the other end Diana found herself in free fall until she landed on her back upon a wheel-like object.
Groaning in pain Diana straightened herself as best as she could, raising her bound hands above her. She looked around at the neon lit room, appearing as some grim casino merged with a torture chamber.
The sound of dice filled Diana's ears as indeed a pair were flung against her body.
"What the..."
"Well, well, well," said a feminine voice. "What have we here?"
Diana looked up and saw Harley Quinn standing above her. She wore the dress of a classical jester, with what almost looked like bugs crawling beneath her suit, bursting from the seems.
"Wonder Woman eh? Oh I'm really scared," Quinn laughed, leaning down over Diana, several bugs hitting Diana's face. "So you're the one all the fuss is about."
Quinn leaped off the wheel, the neon lights glowing brighter in the area. Quinn then proceeded to dance around Diana, continuing to mock her and insult her age. She would spin Diana on the wheel she had landed on and grab her by the thin white cloth Diana had been dressed in to bring her close and lick her mockingly.
With strength greater than she should have been capable of Quinn then picked up Diana, danced her around briefly before throwing her to the ground.
"Release me now or face the dire consequences Quinn," roared Diana as three slot machines made in the fashion of gunslingers bore down on her, readying their firearm slots, loaded with real bullets.
Before the bullets could strike Diana, Quinn pulled her out of the way before spinning her around.
"Oh Wondey, you're funny, I'm laughing. You're just too much," laughed Quinn, kicking Diana to the ground and leaning over her. "Now with your permission, I'm going to do my stuff."
"What are you going to do?" asked Diana.
"I'm going to do the very best I can," said Quinn.
Quinn laughed in Diana's face as the floor began to move, or at least that's what it felt like to Diana. The mad woman continued on about how she loved to gamble and that she'd gladly play a game with Diana's life up for bet.
"Release me fast or you will answer for this heinous act," Diana roared as her bound hands were placed on a hook and she was raised off the ground.
"Oh sister, you're joking, you put me in a spin, you aren't comprehending the position that you're in," laughed Quinn, operating the machine lifting Diana off the ground. "It's hopeless, you're finished, you haven't got a prayer. It's hopeless, you're finished, you haven't got a prayer. Because you're in my fantasy now, and you ain't going nowhere."
Harley drew her close face to Diana's with that last sentence, and laughed evilly.
While Diana believed she was truly suffering the humiliations of being Harley Quinn's captive, the true reality was much worse. Diana, as well as the fiendish operations overseen by Strange and his crew, had been moved to their true location of operation.
The legendary cathedral of Notre Dame, which Enchantress herself had cleared of visitors and holy men. The foul witch had become greatly empowered by her draining of Diana's strength. Her form had changed. She appeared cleaner, more regal, with a large green circular head dress and a flowing skirt. The unearthly green aura of her magic shone brightly in the church as her captive and cohorts walked in.
"Impressive display my dear," said Strange, as armed men carried in the various class coffins and various other forms of equipment.
The coffins had been placed before the alter which Enchantress hovered before, bringing Diana's body in tow. Her eyes were open and glowing bright orange. As were the eyes of Harley Quinn, walking alongside the monstrously changed Joker.
Enchantress acknowledged Strange and then went about to her work. She took Diana's body and began using her magic to weave matter into a machine of Strange's design.
She blew out the great window and formed the machine around Diana, encasing her in a dark green weave of flesh-like bindings at the center of the window. The magic made cables then connected to the various caskets, all as Strange designed.
"Well done my dear," said Strange. "Now we may begin."
Enchantress nodded and from her finger tips dark green tendrils of dark magic struck Diana, causing her body to gasp and seize.
"So much power within this one, but she holds it back," said Enchantress. "Great pain once brought it out. Great grief kept it buried once more. Now it is mine to release."
Enchantress forced her will into Diana's body and the Amazon Princess glowed as lightning surged from her body and along the mystical cables into the glass caskets.
When the godly lightning from Diana struck the chemicals in which the bodies of Gotham city had been suspended in, violent changes took place. One of the caskets burst open revealing a large pale skinned figure, veins glowing with the unnatural chemical.
"Our first, born on a Monday, like the poem of Solomon Grundy," said Strange, admiring the pale giant.
"Solomon...Grundy," the towering Goliath said. "Born...on...a...Monday."
"And here I thought his first words would be papa," said Joker, placing long deformed arm over the newly christened Solomon Grundy.
As the other caskets opened, Strange smiled as his beautiful Monster Men took their first breaths.
The carrier, dubbed the Flying Fox, was making top speed to Paris, the remaining members of the Justice League aboard and en route.
"Something's going on," said Superman, using his superhuman hearing. "I'm picking up police sirens and radio chatter."
"Same here," said Cyborg, his cybernetic connection patching into Parisian news. "Something about monsters in Notre Dame."
"I'm guessing it's not Quasimodo throwing a Halloween party," said Aquaman. "And why the heck are you in the ship? Can't you fly?"
"Can't you swim?" countered Superman.
"Can I sell tickets?" laughed Flash.
'Diana was right, they are children,' thought Batman as he sat at the controls.
"Any reports about Diana, she'd be first response," said Batman.
"So far nothing," said Cyborg.
"Not good," said Batman. "When we get on the ground Clark, Victor, and Arthur start on containment of whatever 'monsters' are on the scene. Barry begin evacuating civilians."
"Are you going to try and find Diana?" asked Superman.
"When we get the situation under control," said Batman. "I'll infiltrate the cathedral while you all cause a disturbance outside. That way we'll get a better understanding of what's going on."
The five men stayed silent for a minute, processing Batman's plan, and acknowledged the points he made. It was like a general detailing plans for an organized strike force going into hostile enemy territory.
Emergency evacuation and extraction (Flash), armored infantry (Superman, Aquaman, and Cyborg), and infiltration and reconnaissance (Batman).
Superman had come to learn to respect Batman's strategic mind. He had first hand knowledge of it. How he had planned contingencies for when they had fought, the way he had arranged the battlefield to give him even the slightest edge in his favor. As if it were a game of chess he had somehow managed to rig so that all the opposing pieces fell into his trap.
Combining that kind of intellect with the power of the team he had assembled and Superman believed he'd have had all of Gotham under control. That was if Batman didn't prove to respect the lives of the members of the League and their own struggles.
When he originally went after Bruce, Clark had believed the Batman to be a symbol of oppression for the people of Gotham. That he wasn't a Dark Knight but a Dark Lord who held control of the police and abused the power his wealth and such connections afforded to mercilessly press his boot against the throats of the poor of Gotham. The people who were left with no choice but to turn to crime as a means to sustain themselves. The people he had spoken to when he had investigated.
"If what we're going up against is able to put Diana out of commission what are our odds?" asked Superman.
"You don't want to know and Vic don't tell him," said Batman.
"Hey, I'm no C3-PO," laughed Cyborg.
"Well, I'm definitely Han," said Aquaman.
"Wouldn't Bruce be Han? He's the one flying the ship," said Flash.
"Keep it up and you'll be a Skywalker," said Aquaman.
"Which one?" asked Flash. "The one people hate or the one people used to like but now sorta hate?"
"That's enough," said Batman. "We're in range of their radio frequencies. Whatever is happening is going down now. Clark take them down, I'm going to find somewhere to land. Reconvene at the cathedral once the city is stable."
In Diana's mind, the twisted casino Harley Quinn had trapped her in had changed into a hospital-like setting. Diana was no longer held up by cuffed hands. Instead she was strapped nude to an operating table. Quinn herself had changed. She dressed almost like a nurse and held her head by her hair.
"And how's my little patient doing?" laughed Harley, forcing her head in front of Diana's face.
"Let me go," Diana roared, not having the patience required to deal with these delusions.
"Oh but you're so sick," said Harley. "I simply have to give you a thorough examination. And with the help of my assistants."
Shadowy figures rose from the morgue-like room Diana found herself trapped in. They rose from body bags and when the bags gave way Diana gasped in terror as she recognized the faces of the figures. Decomposed as they were she could still recognize them. Her mother Hippolyta, her aunt Antiope, and her first man Steve Trevor. All three loomed over Diana's form as Harley laughed directly into Diana's ear, her tongue licking it lustfully.
"Hey, how about a massage?" laughed Harley.
The corpses then began to place their hands all over Diana's body, as the Amazon princess cried out in fury and terror.
The streets of Paris became flooded with screaming people. A lumbering white creature of massive stature. It appeared like a giant infant with a massively swollen head and one large red eye.
It made a fine target for Aquaman's trident.
"Bullseye," the underwater hero yelled as he was set down by Superman.
The alien hero then put Flash on his feet and the scarlet speedster went to work in aiding civilians who might have been caught in the wreckage of the creature's rampage.
Superman used his own superhuman speed and strength to sweep beneath the creature's legs, throwing if off balance.
A lesson he had learned from his lethal fight with Doomsday and implemented in his fight with Steppenwolf: speed is a key weapon in fighting larger opponents.
While his own physical strength would allow him to match the strength of the creature in a head on fight, using his smaller stature and his greater control of his speed would allow him to better control the fight. Better control the fight and prevent civilian casualties. He was still haunted by those killed in Metropolis, the blood as much on his hands as they were on Zod's. He couldn't control the fight then. Zod had control of that fight and people suffered because of it.
Superman then used his 'freeze breath' to stop the creature from regaining its mobility. Freezing it in a giant block of ice. Of course he had been courteous to have drawn out Aquaman's trident as he had flown around the creature whilst freezing it.
"That was easy," said Aquaman, catching the trident in hand.
"That was just one," said Cyborg, landing alongside the two men. "There are others all over the city. Big, nasty monsters all pouring out of the cathedral."
"About as big as Mr. Marshmallow over here?" asked Aquaman, gesturing to the creature he and Superman just felled.
"It varies," said Cyborg. "At leas that's what police reports are saying."
"And they are nasty," said Flash, honoring his name with his sudden arrival. "These not so fantastic beasts are on a total rampage like something out of a summer blockbuster. I managed to make a few dizzy but that's not going to last."
"The plan can still work," said Superman. "Like Batman said, Aquaman and I can hold off the beasts. Flash, you keep helping civilians and Cyborg, coordinate with the Paris police and see if we can get them to help us set up a barrier around Notre Dame. We keep the fight in one place, we keep civilian casualties to a minimum. If either of you get cornered by one of these things remember, you're smaller, faster, and smarter, use that to your advantage. Confuse them, make their size work against them."
"You know I actually have an 'in' with this big ass lizard thing in the ocean," said Aquaman. "I could just call him up and he'll deal with these posers."
"You're big idea is to bring another giant monster into this already monster infested situation?" asked Flash.
"Dudes, this guy is the king, I swear," said Aquaman.
"No giant monsters," said Superman.
"But he breathes..."
"NO GIANT MONSTERS," the other three yelled in unison.
"Alright then how about a giant ape? I know this island..."
"How would that be any better?" asked Flash. "Apes are vicious. I know I'd never want to fight one."
"You guys don't know what you're missing out on," said Aquaman. "My guy Big G, he's the king, like me."
After Batman had landed the Flying Fox he swiftly began making his way to the famous cathedral. He had managed to sneak in through the bell tower and soon made his way to the altar room. There he found what appeared to be a mix between a cult ritual and a mad science experiment. With Diana wrapped in a large mesh of dark green tendrils, her eyes glowing orange and he body crackling with power which coursed through the mesh.
He took note of the possible threats. A woman in dress similar to ancient South American dress, radiating dark green energy. A man in a white lab coat and glasses. And Quinn whom he recognized.
But oddly enough someone was missing.
"Hey Bats," a voice whispered behind him.
Batman turned only to be caught by some invisible and massive hand. The hidden figure shimmered and revealed himself to Batman. Beneath his cowl the Dark Knight's eyes widened as he gazed upon his old enemy, both familiar and yet unfamiliar to him at the same time. Misshapen and deformed no doubt from the bonding with the demon Incubus. He was a horror that befit his madness. Like a lumbering hulk with bones sticking out from flesh that no longer fit.
"Isn't this a twist," laughed the Joker.
As the Batman was caught by the Joker and the rest of the heroes caught up in conflict with the other monsters, Joker's men readied the next phase of the plan.
Canisters of a specialty mix of Joker's own gas and the infamous recipe of one Jonathan Crane with a little enhancements courtesy of Strange and the Enchantress. On cue the canisters blew all over the city, spreading the gas. And thus a new plague descended over the city of Paris.
Author's Note: Happy Halloween everybody. And as a few treats I peppered more than a few references to some films that are both personal favorites of mine and a few classics. None of which I own, but all of which I hope you enjoy in how I placed them out.
And don't worry Diana won't be stuck as Harley's plaything for long. She'll get her freedom and her chance for payback soon enough.