As most of you have probably guessed, this story, and all my others, have been on hiatus for quite some time. I apologize sincerely for the delays, and assure you that I did not take this hiatus without good reason. I doubt any of you want to sit and read me whining about my personal life, so to make a long story short, I've been dealing with severe illness, death in the family, financial troubles, moving and trying to keep up with schoolwork on top of it all. In the midst of everything, there was just no time or motivation to write. But the good news is, things are finally looking up now, and I'm ready to make my return. I hope that you will all continue reading this story, and I will resume frequent updates from here on out.
Chapter Six: Revealed
"Amazons," Batman spoke the word aloud, while his mind performed a detailed analysis. He had gone over the information found on the laptop from Luthor's spy a dozen times. During his tenure in the Justice League, Batman had taken on alien conquerors, demons, monsters and 5th-deminsoinal imps. So all things considered, a race of warrior women residing on a paradisiacal island, shielded from man's detection by the power of Greek gods, should not have seemed too far-fetched. He came to accept the idea as reality after only a few moments of contemplation, and was then able to continue onto more pertinent matters. Lord Industries' involvement.
According the files, while Lord Industries was still making electric pencil sharpeners and pedometers, Maxwell was assembling his own private army of mercenaries. He then deployed this army to Themyscira, and using cutting edge modern weaponry, was able to overpower them. He exterminated all of the Amazons within just a few hours. And then he used their island as the center for his meteoric rise to power. It wasn't long after that Lord Industries, previously on the verge of bankruptcy, was suddenly competing with WayneTech and LexCorp. They mined a nearly indestructible ore from underneath the temple of Hephaestus, a metal alloy which man's world had never seen before. Lord Industries was soon selling it as body armor to militaries around the world. Their advances only continued from there.
It explained everything. Diana must have been the only survivor from Themyscira. The last Amazon. It made perfect sense that she was now out for blood against Lord; she had likely witnessed her entire people slaughtered by his hand. She was left with a deep hatred for Maxwell Lord at an early age. A hatred that festered within her all throughout her life, motivating her training, and fueling her vendetta.
Only one piece of the puzzle remained; how did Maxwell Lord find Themyscira? That was the only question for which Bruce had no answer. Themyscira had remained shielded from man's detection for centuries. Lord's company was nearing bankruptcy then; his army was funded entirely by money drawn from his inheritance. How did a rich but failing business man happen to just stumble upon Themyscira, and decide to commit genocide? It made no sense.
And it would have to wait, because the bat signal was now illuminating the Gotham skyline…
Gotham Central Bank
The robbers moved quickly, unscrewing the bolts on the bank vault with expert precision. They dropped the door and began to loot from the money inside. Meanwhile, two men stood at the door armed with submachine guns, waiting for any sign of trouble. There were six of them all together.
Batman took quick note of all this from his perch on a nearby building, and planned out his course of action. Once his strategy was set, Batman leapt from the gargoyle and spread his cape, gliding down on top of the bank. He crashed in through the skylight and planted his feet on the shoulders of one of the robbers, forceful enough to dislocate both his arms. Before the thugs could even react, Batman hurled a series of smoke pellets downward, shrouding the room in an impenetrable haze of smog.
However, Batman quickly realized that something was amiss. His sudden entry should have thrown the criminals into a panicked frenzy, but they hardly even reacted. It was as if his arrival had been utterly mundane to them, and did not even warrant a reaction. More disturbing still, the criminals beneath Batman's feet suddenly morphed into a serpent of some sort, and slithered away.
Now it was apparent that Batman had walked directly into a trap. He readied a baterang and prepared to move. But as the smoke cleared away, he saw all six of the robbers, standing a neatly organized line. Their eyes shone with a bright, fluorescent yellow. They spoke in unison, "You should not have interfered in the affairs of Maxwell Lord. Your insolence will now be rewarded with death."
The six robbers began to blend together, morphing into one another. Batman remained calm, despite his growing sense of shock. Within moments, a new figure towered before him; a reptilian creature, startlingly large, with a pair of wings and six long, serpentine heads. "That was… unexpected," Batman frowned. One of the heads lunged at him, teeth gnashing. Batman quickly summersaulted out of the way, but two more heads were already coming for him. He kicked one in the nose, drawing a fountain of blood. The second he dodged, and slashed its eye with the baterang he held in hand, drawing a guttural screech from the monster.
Suddenly, the middle head reared up and roared, unleashing a torrent of fire. Batman quickly rolled behind a large granite pillar. The fire struck the pillar, and began to arc around the obstacle, surrounding Batman in a swath of unbearable heat. Batman could already feel the pillar starting to give way. He pulled a grapple gun from his utility belt, aimed it at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and fired. He hooked the chandelier and pulled himself up from the blaze just as the pillar crumbled, and flame engulfed the spot where the dark knight had been just a moment before.
Batman flipped onto to top of the large crystalline chandelier. A serpentine head flung itself up at him, but grabbed the chain holding the chandelier and jerked back on it, causing the fixture to swing and strike the head directly in the jaw, shattering several teeth. Once he was positioned, Batman used the spikes on his gauntlet to slash the chain, separating the massive chandelier from the ceiling. The chandelier plummeted through the air, and Batman shifted his weight upon it to keep it aimed at his mark. He struck with expert precision, ramming the pointed base of the crystal chandelier directly in the middle head of the beast.
The pure force separated the head from its neck, leaving nothing but a bloody stump, which doused the room in the coppery crimson fluid. All five of the monster's remaining heads shrieked, writhing in agony. And then something highly unexpected happened. The limp, stumpy neck of the severed head began to ripple, and suddenly, it divided into two separate heads!
Batman scowled, suddenly aware of what he was fighting. The Hydra of Greek mythology. When one head is severed, two more grow back. The beast lashed out at Batman, attacking with the ferocity of a rabid animal. Batman did his best to evade the onslaught of the seven-headed beast, but it was fast, and one of the heads manage to lock its teeth into his arm.
Batman let out a cry of pain as blood soaked through his suit. Had it not been for his the protection of his armor, the bite would have ripped his arm off at the shoulder. The Hydra did not let go, instead dragging Batman violently across the floor, toward the gaping maws of the other six heads. As Batman's bleeding body was pulled across the tiled floors of the bank, he used his free hand to fumble around in his utility belt. He withdrew a batarangs and began stabbing the monster's face repeatedly with it, drawing spurts of blood. After rending the creature's facial tissue is several places, the Hydra finally let go of Batman's arm. He flipped onto his feet just in time to be struck down by a head-butt from another head.
A middle head came in to consume the dark knight. He withdrew his miniature Bat-grenade, and threw it immediately into the creature's open mouth. It detonated, blowing the monster's jaw apart. Chunks of tongue and bits of shattered tooth rained down on Batman, who shambled to his feet and took cover behind another pillar, one that was still standing. Thinking quickly, Batman attached a small C4 explosive from his belt to the pillar, and then stealthily took cover behind a desk. A hydra head peered around to search for Batman behind the pillar. He pressed his remote control and detonated the C4, blasting the pillar off of its support. The pillar came tumbling down, and crushed the neck of the Hydra, pinning one head down without severing it.
The creature wailed, trapped beneath the heavy granite, and the remaining six heads were thrown into a panic. Batman took advantage of this and broke into a sprint, catapulting himself off of the pinned down Hydra head, and glided into the air. A head lunged at him, but it was the one that he had blown the jaw off of. It found itself unable to bite, and he easily evaded it. A second head spotted him, and lunged as well. This one did have teeth.
Batman arched himself downward to pick up speed in his glide, and sailed toward one of the four remaining pillars. He swerved out of the way at the last moment, and the Hydra head forcefully collided with it, shattering the pillar and the Hydra's skull simultaneously. Batman knew that the pillars were only decorative, and did not really support the ceiling. It was safe to use them as a battlefield advantage. The impact had reduced the brain of that Hydra head to jelly, and it fell limp on the floor. Now there were five Hydra heads left active, and only four were equipped for combat, since one of them was missing a face.
The creature's movement was also hindered now, with one head trapped underneath a marble pillar, and another limp and lifeless. Three pillars were left standing. Once they were gone, the battlefield would be completely open, and Batman would be at a severe disadvantage. He analyzed all of this quickly and efficiently in his mind, trying to formulate and effective battle strategy before he was attacked again.
They were getting smarter as well. Two Hydra heads lunged at Batman from the front, while two more slithered around behind him. Batman withdrew a bolo from his utility belt, ducked out of the way of an incoming Hydra bite, and flung the bolo with expert precision. It tied two of the Hydra's necks together tightly, causing two of the heads to ram together. While those two heads were disoriented, Batman turned his attention to the two trying to sneak up on him.
Batman threw down a flash pellet to blind the creature, and then retreated behind one of the remaining three pillars. There, he remembered the Greek myth in which Hercules defeated by Hydra by burning its neck with a torch every time he severed a head, which prevented it from growing more. Batman withdrew a pack of thermite from his utility belt. He only had enough thermite for one shot; he would have to make it count.
Batman aimed his grapple gun at the jaw of one Hydra head, which was sniffing the air tentatively for him. He fired, and hooked the Hydra. The beast shrieked and jerked Batman off the ground, hurling him into the air. Batman positioned himself quickly, and pressed the button on the grapple gun which caused the line to reel in. Batman zipped down on the line, straight toward the panicked Hydra head. Once within range, he flipped and kicked the creature in the throat.
Batman used the force of his kick to launch himself downward, allowing the grapple to release line again, and glided directly into the most enclosed space available; the open bank vault. Batman rolled into the vault and reeled in the grapple line again, forcing the Hydra to follow him. All of the Hydra's remaining heads chased Batman, wriggling ferociously into the vault. With the Hydra's in, Batman had literally two inches of space to move inside of the rather small vault. Perfect.
He laid out the thermite, ignited the magnesium ribbon, and witnessed the chemical reactions take place instantly. The thermite erupted into a blaze of heat. Batman shrouded himself in his cape, and listened to the enclosed Hydra's shriek. Thermite burns at about 2500 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt most metals rather quickly. It should do the trick for cauterizing a couple of Hydra heads, Batman thought.
The raging chemical fire within the bank vault incinerated the Hydra's heads, and scorched everything left. It wasn't long before it was burning through Batman's cape. Holes began to form in his suit. Moving quickly in the unbearable heat, Batman ripped off the vent in the back of the vault and climbed into the air ducts. He down from a vent outside the vault, and watched the fire finally begin to die down. The Hydra was dead, and already its body was starting to disappear.
Batman's suit was torn, scorched and bloody. He clutched his wounded arm, from where the Hydra bit him, and began to make his escape before the GCPD arrived. Once he was a safe distance away, he made a call.
"What is it Bruce?" The Oracle answered her communicator.
"I was just attacked by the Hydra. As in, the Greek mythology Hydra."
"What?"
"I want you to run a thorough background check on everyone who Maxwell Lord is known to have had contact with over the last thirty years."
"That's a tall order Bruce."
"I know. Can you do it?"
"I'm insulted that you even had to ask. I'll call you in the morning and tell you what I find. But… can I have some idea of what I'm looking for?"
"I wish I knew."
Lord Towers – One Hour Later
"Well how the mighty have fallen," Maxwell Lord smiled.
"The Batman proved more resourceful than I anticipated," replied the figure standing in the corner of Lord's office, veiled in shadows.
"The point remains that now both of us have failed to kill the Batman on our first attempt," scowled Lord. "If we don't put a stop to this flying rodent soon, he's going to bring everything crashing down! He knows about the Amazons now, it's only a matter of time before he digs up the proof to tie me to their extinction."
"He will not find evidence that does not exist," replied the figure. "I personally saw to it that any traces of that operation were wiped clean from the Earth."
"Just like you were going to 'personally see to it' that Batman was killed?" Lord retorted.
"Do not test me, Maxwell. It is because of me that you possess any power at all, and I can strip it from you just as easily."
"We cannot allow the Justice League's interference in our affairs to continue, Ares!" Lord snapped. It was the first time that he had addressed Ares by name in years. "The Batman will be weary after his fight with the Hydra. I'll deploy my assassins, and you can do whatever the hell you want. I'm putting an end to this. We're too far along now to be having some pointed eared bastard throwing a monkey wrench in the plan."
"Very well," Ares finally stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a tall man in elaborate black armor. "If you ever raise your voice to me again, Maxwell, I will impale you on a stake and leave the birds to feast on your organs."
With that, Ares vanished. Lord removed his private cell phone from his pocket, and made a call. "Deathstroke? It's Lord. I require your services."
Basement Level
Hera, give me strength. Diana hadn't prayed since she was eight. But she hadn't felt weak since then, either. She had long since given up trying to break free of the cuffs which held her to the operating table. Dr. Hamilton had been cruel with his experiments on her, trying to find the source of her immortality. Day after day, Lord had visited her to recite his speech about how the Amazons were an abomination to the world, and how they had no right to live forever when humankind had to face death at every turn. Lord was so passionate about his cause that Diana sometimes began to agree with him. And then he would snap, and remind her of his insanity. Of his tendency toward violence.
Lord was abusive. He took every chance he had to hurt her, and it was infuriating that she could do nothing to stop him. She didn't know how many days it had been now, strapped to the table with nothing but her own thoughts for companionship, enduring the cruel and painful experimentation of Dr. Hamilton, and the psychopathic ramblings of Maxwell Lord. And though she stubbornly refused to accept it, her will was almost broken.
"Well isn't this interesting," Hamilton's dry, fatherly voice echoed from within the darkness. "It appears that your immortality may not be primarily internal, my dear. It seems as if your body is drawing energy from some alternative source, energy that seems to halt aging. Fascinating."
"Thanks for the update pinprick," Diana growled.
"Smile, my dear. I'm one step closer to learning how to replicate your gift of immortality." Hamilton ran his hand smoothly down Diana's cheek. It shook with lust. Diana had caught on rather early that in addition to being a sadist, Hamilton was also a bit of a pervert. "Do you know what that means, darling? It means that pretty soon, you'll be free of all this suffering."
"I know you aren't going to let me free," Diana spat, refusing to fall into his mind games.
"Oh no, of course not dear. Once I'm done, we're going to kill you."