RyokoMist here once again! Okayzies, i know i had told some of you guys like a couple of weeks ago i was gonna upload this chapter but i wound up redoing the entire chapter with something different, sooooooooooo yeah _ my bad. Anyways, im not going to keep you soooooooooo here ya go and puhlease review if ya see fit. Shout out to LibraDiva83, Gleek2beat, and Silverquickstar. Thanks guys for everything.

Afterlife of a Vengeful Goddess

Max bursts through the doors of the new nest, running down the halls at intolerable speeds towards the infirmary – ignoring the bowing Kobra agents. She makes a sharp left before erupting through the entryways; eyes immediately falling on the incubator…and the bundle lying within it weakly. The Queen rushes for the machine only to be stopped by a doctor wearing a dark green lab coat. He holds out his hands catching her wrists and restraining the girl's further advance. Max struggles, yelling, "Let me through! Amunet!"

"Queen Uadjit, I cannot let you by any more."

She turns with fierce hostility to the doctor; yanking free from his palms and grabbing the scientist by the collar. "You dare?" Uadjit growls. "Where. Is. My. BABY?" Her breath grows hard and shallow with rage. The proclaimed Kobra ruler slams the doctor back into a table covered in an assortment of colorful vials roughly as the glass shatters and contents leak out and drip upon the floor.

He hesitates; her anger was dangerous – understandable – but dangerous nonetheless. He motions with a jerk of the chin for the incubator and Max practically flies there, pressing her palms against the glass while staring down at the three month baby girl…Amunet: skin of a smooth cream-like tan, hair as black as tar dancing with intricate little curls around her oval round face; lashes flickering slightly with every breath the baby took…every labored and strenuous breath. Uadjit's expression softens considerably. "What's wrong with her?"

The doctor sighs. "It would appear she has some kind of heart defect."

"Will she…"Uadjit struggles to find the appropriate word, "live?"

"The deficiency will recede with the late King's blood taking effect. But we must keep an eye on her nonetheless. However, I'm sure with the properties acting accordingly Princess Amunet will be healthy and ready for your arms sooner than it seems. I assure you this."

Feeling somewhat uplifted by the report Uadjit narrows her brows and leans down, kissing the glass before turning and exiting the infirmary. Her child would be alright, possibly. And while the Queen wanted to stay by the baby's side the heads of International Kobra branches were due to arrive soon…very soon. She barely has time to think or worry when a voice acknowledges that her previous thought had been completed. The ruler tenses her shoulders and walks through yet another door where servants awaited nervously. Holding out hands they discard her clothes before presenting a new set. She hardly pays attention – her mind too busy replaying her advantage against the bat those moments prior. Being so close to destroying him was both satisfying as well as disappointing.

A servant adjusts the Egyptian styled royal collar and eventually Gibson's escorted into the throne room from a secret passage, noting the gasps of the agents within. She donned her typical garb: a dark hunter's green gown with waist high splits that laid on both sides giving clear view to her thighs and legs. The long sleeved dress was low cut so as to show off Uadjit's chest and cleavage. The black collar accentuated a dark allure, mixing perfectly with the near elbow high black gloves with cut fingers and the heeled above knee black greaves upon her legs. The Kobra leaders admire their dominating leader's unique beauty as she takes her seat upon the throne. Uadjit crosses her legs smoothly before acknowledging, "My lords."

"Hail Kobra," the guests respond.

The Kobra servants fill the room watching the exchange carefully. The international leaders sit – the majority of them dressed like wealthy subjects of the land where they had arrived from. The mood is difficult to decipher; light and yet heavy…a confusing mixture. A man of the Spanish branch speaks in a thick smooth and very enticing accent. "My Queen Uadjit, I am pleased to see you again – and sorry about your late husband, King Zander."

Max's voice answers in an emotionally detached tone, "Thank you Lord Raphael. Your concern is satisfying."

"But ofcourse my Queen. You mean more to us, to me, than you know."

Uadjit observes the man with cautious eyes: his tanned brown skin seemed to radiate from out of the black suit he wore while his perfect lips folded under his even more perfectly manicured mustache and beard. His black eyes glisten mesmerizingly. This Raphael Diablo had the face of a god; anyone – any woman – with sense would be a fool not to purse after him. But Max wasn't like other females obviously, and she could care less about Raphael and his…advantages. And this was an intriguing circumstance for him. The man was used to women from both within Kobra and out throwing themselves at him no matter what manner of relationship they may have currently been involved in. He was a player, and a hell of one at that. But Uadjit: she never gave him the time of day – and it interested Raphael in her even the more so to the point that the Spaniard stallion could only think about his Queen; craved for her. It was within this moment that the other Kobra leaders (some descendants of the land they terrorized while others were American imports sent to areas of assignment) were invisible. "That," the Queen states, "is your job. Now, lets discuss business, shall we?"

****Commissioner Barbara Gordon sighs and practically falls with weariness into her office chair, excusing the officers who had reported to her from the once Batgirl's presence. With the room empty she says aloud, "This is getting bad Bruce."

"Hey! I'm not some two-way radio. I'm not going to transfer messages back and forth!" Batman suddenly evaporates from the camouflage of the wall and folds his arms across the red insignia with a scowl on the hero's face. "You wanna talk to Bruce so bad, call him up. But talk to me."

Gordon raises an eyebrow repeats once gain while ignoring her old friend's protégé's outburst, "The kid's getting cocky, Bruce." She knows Wayne can hear, and she knows he more than likely agrees.

"Knock it off Gordon. You called me here for a reason."

Barbara rests her elbows on the desk top, interlocking fingers together under her chin as the chair turns and faces the young Batman. "I called you here for answers."

"Naturally."

"What's going on? I got the call from your friends not too long ago. Apparently your acquaintance is back?"

"I don't know why you're asking me!"

"And she's trying to recruit new members into Kobra…this is getting out of control."

"I can handle it!" Batman shoots back hotly.

"She tried to kill you," Barbara says between locked jaws. "The girl set a trap and lured you in…it was a perfect plan…because she knew you would fall for it."

Batman slams his fist angrily on the desktop and leans forward aggressively into Barbara's face. "I said, I CAN HANDLE IT!"

Barbara remains unflinching at his hostility; not at all concerned about the boy's pride. "She knows you kid. Gibson was your best friend since childhood and she knows every singe thing that makes you tick. She's got you cuffed."

"Gordon," Batman warns in a low snarl.

"But you know what I find interesting kid?" Barbara sneers, her tone taking on a strangely cold element, "Maxine knows every single detail about you, but you don't apparently know a single thing about her – the girl you grew up with; your best friend. I call that quite one sided don't you?"

Batman pauses before standing up straight and taking a disbelieving step back. He could pick up the underlining crude message in the Commissioner's words. "You're a sadist Barbara. That was way below the belt."

"Don't start stuff you can't finish. Now tell me what you know. I'm Commissioner – this was my town long before you came along."

"Yeah," Batman scoffs while heading towards the open window and night sky, "what a great reminder! T's, Jokerz, spliced loving freaks, and let's not talk about the high criminal rate…you did one hell of a job."

"We all aren't perfect; before you realize it even you will come face to face with the day when you're not as strong as you once were; where you cant protect everyone closest to you. Even Superman has a weakness. Do you know what our weakness and true archenemy is?"

"A lack of police officers that can do their job or give a damn?"

Barbara passes off his comment and positions her seat way from him. "Time," she answers in almost a whisper. "Eventually it will catch us and we'll pay when it does. Even a super powered suit can't stop it…I'm sure Bruce can testify to that."

Terry pauses again and ponders silently for a moment. She had a point. A painfully accurate one that sent waves of conviction through the hero of the future. He too, even at his young age, often thought about the day with fear when he would no longer be able to wear the suit: whether from decrepit age…or death. Just the thought of it did something to the boy – and he could only hope to imagine the real pain it brought to those who were faced with it; Barbara…Bruce. The curse of being human wasn't the heart, or ritualistic beliefs that brainwashed mankind – it was time; because within time lead to the actions of surprisingly many people on the world. He tightens his lips briefly before stating slowly, "I think she blames me for what happened. Max has been…corrupted by Kobra. She's the Queen over Kobra international, not just the Gotham branch, and one of her plans involves getting rid of any government authority in Kobra's way; including the Justice League."

"That's a big goal. Girl has one hell of a chip on her shoulder."

"She has to do it for herself and Kobra…for Amunet."

Confusion spreads upon Gordon. "Amunet? What's Amunet?"

Batman narrows his eyes and explains simply, "Max's daughter."

"WHAT?" Gordon wheels, but by the time she turns Batman is gone; nothing left indicating his presence save the open window. Just then her phone rings and the Commissioner answers: "Yeah?"

Bruce's voice seems to illuminate the room with mystery from the other line; the recognizable sound of bats lightly screeching in the background: how she missed the relaxing call of those bats. "I'm sure you understand how serious this is."

Barbara hums her response before clarifying, "Ofcourse. But apparently he doesn't or he just won't face it. What're you gonna do?"

"I'm working on it."

"You're slipping Bruce. The Wayne I knew would've had three plans already saved up before things got this far."

"Yeah, and I would've never grown old either, forcing me to have a kid carry on the legacy."

Gordon smiles crossing her legs as she stares outside into the city she loved so much. "Nice to know you thought so highly of us."

"You guys were my life; my family. I never had that before except for Alfred – I didn't say it much and I forced you away -."

"That's enough Bruce. It's all done. We're still family – a little rough around the edges perhaps, but you know."

"Thanks Barbara, I never said that enough."

"You're not going to die on me are you?" Bruce laughs as Barbara continues with a chuckle, "Of course not…you'll probably outlive us all."

**** "Another matter to be discussed then," says an elderly old man with a bold Irish accent to the Queen. "What of the heir?"

Uadjit's brows descend angrily at the indication of her child. And just what the hell did he or the others for that matter want to know about her baby. She'd be damned if she allowed them to even consider doing something to Amunet. Uadjit would fucking destroy Kobra from the inside out and then rebirth it; she'd rather Kobra be destroyed all together and be locked up somewhere in a new Arkham than harm befall the baby, her child…the remnant of Zander. Although the girl needed Kobra to carry out her plans, it meant nothing in comparison to the life of her body. "What about her?"

"There is talk, my Queen, that she is sick – dying perhaps."

"Ah so that's it, is it? You want to know who should take my place should I perish? I can assure you it won't be you Lord McMillian. You look like you could drop in the next few seconds."

McMillian burns red with embarrassment. "I resent that! I'm healthy as the finest Irish horses!"

Uadjit's lips turn into a twisted smile causing the old man to gulp as she contradicts, "Health means nothing to murder, my lord. Now, as for my Amunet: I promise she is in the best of care. She has a heart defect, but all will be okay."

Raphael tilts his head in curiousness. "I don't understand."

Uadjit, who had been slowly descending from her throne stands before Raphael and sits carefully on the table before him, crossing her legs and placing her warm fingertips on his beard. "Before Zander died, before I became Queen, he was spliced with dino DNA. And although he was returned back to his physical glory afterwards he still retained some of the genetics. Amunet picked up on that, but it wasn't enough. Thankfully our prestigious doctors kept a sample of his blood and fused the properties within her. The resilience of the Tyrannosaurus's coding has been obtained by Amunet's system and is strengthening her frail body and heart even now as we speak. It won't be long before she is completely healthy – and ready to learn the ways of Kobra."

Raphael smirks deviously and leans forward towards Uadjit, asking in a smooth hidden depth, "And what of you, my Queen. Surely you will appoint a mate to rule beside you?"

Oh what joyous fun that would be! To have a man let into her heart once more? The Kobra ruler tightens her hold on his beard and pulls him forward roughly so that their lips nearly connect. The woman repositions her mouth to his ear but says loud enough for everyone to hear: "I alone rule Kobra. I will be second to no man, and he will not influence my power. I am Queen…I am Kobra!"

"But naturally," Diablo exclaims. "And in honor of that power, I bring you a gift." Still in her clutches and now making full eye contact undisputedly and with full awe he motions with his fingers to his servants behind them as they exit the door briefly, only to return a few minutes later with a young man, beaten and bruised, constricted and confined to the chains that had him bound around the hands and neck. He looked pitiful, tired…as he gawked at Uadjit in shock…and apparent recognition.

Max rolls her eyes in boredom. "I've enough servants Diablo; and you know how I feel about slavery."

"Ah, but this is no mere human. He can do so much more. And I believe you will find him pleasing." With a snap of the fingers the servants press a button on the handle of their chains and electric volts dance across the man, violent screams erupting from his mouth as his form begins to fizz in and out – mutating into different persons rapidly before he collapses unto the ground in his true form. Uadjit's gaze widen in immediate acknowledgement as she releases her hold on the beard and gasps.

"Zeta?"

The machine's horn like head rises slowly as his voice processors cough out, "Ma-Max…"

"Unhand him!" The faces of the room betray confusion, but the hesitation is immediately expelled as their Queen growls out with even more ferocity, "I said LET HIM GO!" Her orders are carried out in quick, swift bursts and within a matter of seconds Zeta is freed from his bonds. Uadjit races from her perch towards the shape shifting machine and throws her arms around his frame, assessing the damage done – which was surprisingly minimal; the electric shock did more trouble than anything. The wounds must have been part of the hologram.

Raphael rises from the chair and looks about in agreement with the others, asking the question that everyone was wondering: "You know this thing?"

Zeta rises slowly alongside Max and she turns her body straight for Diablo with the flash of brief anger erupting across the Queen's features. "He is my friend."

"I-I don't understand…"

"It's not that difficult to grasp Raphael," Max states with annoyance as her arms reach up and wrap behind around the machine's horn head and his hands place themselves, due to his significant height difference, on the sides of her stomach underneath her full breast. Her brows reveal a mischief while her full lips turn upward in a dastardly seductive smirk as the vengeful queen adds assuredly, "He is MINE."

TO BE CONTINUED…