Diary of Bruce Wayne
29th July 1999
Finally some good news, I now know Khris is alive... But she doesn't look in a good way. Hopefully Ambrose will find a way to show us where she is, when we get to her, the monsters that hurt her will pay dearly.
Langstrom's Secret Laboratory
Slowly waking in a pool of her own blood Widow struggles to her knees. Hearing a clicking sound near her ankles she turns and sees Ambrose, tears coming to her eyes. Thinking this either a dream or she's dead, she smiles despite the swelling of her jaw.
"A... Ambrose?" She said to the tiny figure unlocking her chains. He turns around a glint of familiar love in his tiny green eyes. He hugs her almost crying himself, he says to her quietly,
"Shh mistwess, we no want no people seeing what me is doing, as soon as me unlock yous chains we can be talking." Giving her another quick hug before continuing to unlock the chains.
Looking around at her cell she was still in the centre of the double circle, the marks hadn't been damaged or removed. Perfect, she was protected from evil magic... Arcane's evil magic. Seeing the sudden green glow on her arm she knew Swamp Thing was trying to make contact. Seeing the glow Ambrose understood instantly what had happened, quickly unlocking the chains he nods before disappearing to find a way out.
Sitting in the centre of the circle cross-legged she began to meditate on the Green, reaching out to it, beaconing it closer... In her mind she could see Swamp Thing floating there amidst all the bright colours of the Green.
"Alec? Please say that's you and not some foul trick of Arcane..." She says reaching out a hand to him. Just as she touches his shoulder the vision vanishes. Falling back into herself she opens her eyes to see Arcane glaring at her through the bars.
"You won't be able to reach Holland, Every time you try the Rot will pull you back. You will be mine to control Miss Van Helsing, oh yes I now know who you are. But what you are eludes me, you're some kind of Blood Witch that is all I know so far. Don't think yourself safe in those magic circles, the moment you die you will belong to me." He says to her angrily.
"You had better get in line, I already have 2 people competing for my corpse. One of them you really don't want to mess with or meet. As for the other well... He would make you wish you'd stayed in the Rot. Both of them, like you, have tried to control me, to try and own me... They failed, and SO... WILL... YOU." She replies with a cocky tone.
"We will see... But be warned there is a full moon tonight, I might not be able to control my new army. You might become their first true meal. LANGSTROM! She's all yours I've had my fill of testing this one. Be careful she can be a bit wild." With that Arcane left but no sooner as he left Langstrom walks into view.
"Don't worry little one I won't hurt you, why don't you come out of there and we can try and see if we can control your changes." He said opening the cell.
"I don't change, I can't because I'm not a werewolf... You on the other hand. Talk to me Kirk, what happened to you?" Widow said not moving from the circle. Langstrom walks in and sits on the bed, beginning to tell her the long story.
Wayne Manor
"What do you mean by that woman has a connection to the Green?" John snaps confronting Swamp Thing. A moment later Swamp Thing looks back as if someone touched his shoulder.
"What is it Alec? What's the matter?" Zatanna says holding his moss covered hand.
"She's trying to communicate with me but something is blocking the way... Something dark." Swamp Thing says to her as he looks over at Bruce, before continuing
"Did you know she had a link to the Green?"
"No that's is a relatively new thing... May be it's a result from her fight with Poison Ivy. You see Ivy scratched her in the fight and made plants grow from the wounds. She still has Ivy's toxin in her blood. Other than that, her friend Ambrose is connected to the Green wholeheartedly. So much so he collapsed when Ivy became a Vampire." Bruce said calmly sitting in his high backed arm chair, hands peaked.
"So that is the link... I will be back soon." Swamp Thing says as he disappears leaving a pile of moss on the ground.
"So what now? We can't just sit around waiting for the little tyke to come back, or for swampy to figure out how someone not made of leaves has a connection to the Green. It will just get plain boring." Jazz said after leaving Damian sleeping on the couch.
"He's right Bruce, what should we do?" Clark said looking at the talking cat then at Bruce.
"Get some sleep, rest. We might just need it, if this gets any worse, we need to be at our full strength. Tonight there is a full moon, and we have a city full of Werewolves. I will not risk this city turning to chaos, just because of a mad man and an unstable scientist." Bruce said standing up and heads towards the cave.
"Well I guess we wait... If anyone needs me I'll be with the kid." Jazz says as he pads off back to the sleeping Damian.
"Can somebody please explain to me how there is a talking cat in Bruce's house?" Zatanna asks before noticing everyone looking at John. Who just holds his hands up and begins to tell Zatanna the story of Jazz and the Electric Mushrooms. Moments pass by and the more John tells his story the more Zatanna gets angry.
"YOU DID WHAT! John how could be so irresponsible, did you even think of the consequenses? When you get back to England you give the poor man's soul back!" Zatanna shouts at John giving him a harsh slap.
"Man? He ain't no man, he's an annoying little pixie that lives at the bottom of the garden." John said back readying himself for another slap.
"Would you guys keep it down! There's a kid trying to sleep here... " Jazz hisses from the lounge.
Wayne Manor
Minutes pass by slowly by into hours as everyone waits. Jazz wakes up seeing Damian practicing some combat moves outside. Paulo is pacing around unable to settle down, his eyes continuously flicking to the window as night begins to fall. John and Zatanna are still arguing about John's irresponsibility, Boston is hovering above them trying to calm them down. Bruce is in the cave looking at his new computer as he installs the necessary firewalls and encryption algorithms. Lobo sat sulking in the cage with Clark on guard duty. Suddenly a bright light shines in front of Zatanna, Ambrose had returned saying to her,
"Ello' pretty magic lady... Could yous take me to da Big ScaryBatty Man? It's important."
Seeing the light everyone in the house crowds around the little Pixie.
"Hello little Ambrose... Of course I'll take you to him." Zatanna said back calmly holding out her hand for him to sit on. They both go down to the Batcave, Followed closely by the rest of the group *Jazz and Damian included*.
Looking up from the computer screen Bruce smiles but he quickly hides it behind his usual grim demeanor when he sees Ambrose. Ambrose stands up and then hovers over to Bruce trying to mimic his grim look, almost looking like he's gurning. Ambrose's antics cause an uproar of laughter from Boston, Jazz and Zatanna, both Bruce and Ambrose look over to them frowning, making them all fall silent.
"Ello' Mr Batty Man, me knows where Mistwess Widow is... Me needs yous to put Big mapping of the city's on pooper window. Not easy to find places when yous stood out side." Ambrose said so quickly to Bruce he just looks at him questioningly.
"Sausage, me forgotting yous no speak quick pixie. Big map, com-poop-er. Me point where Mistwess Widow is." Ambrose said slowly so Bruce could understand. With a nod he pulls up a map of the city, Ambrose points to the docks. Bruce magnified the docks map, Ambrose then points to the one place no one thought to look...
"The Mazzucchelli Docking House..." Bruce said angrily, Ambrose points to the building then says slowly...
"In big basement, lots of hairy woofs hungry and hurt. Mistwess is in last cell in row, closest to dirty doctors room. Nasty man who stinks of dirt and sad man who looks like Bat is there. Nasty man has hurt Mistwess Widow badly, but she is live and kicking, sad man on other handy me knows won't hurt her... He too genkle, me watched as he tried to help woofs."
"So Langstrom doesn't know Arcane is manipulating him, that is a relief, but Arcane - what of him? How many wo... Werewolves does he have under his control?" Bruce demanded.
"Not many, woofs some have died in their cages, they been left to rotting. Abouts 5 of em's is under nasty man's horribles magics, the other 7 is sick or too hurtings to move. Mistwess is lucky she put up magic circles to pwotect herself, but she might not still surviving the night if nasty man opens cage to hungry woofs so close to full moon." Ambrose said sadly but then cheered up saying,
"She's strong, she not give up. Last me saw she was talking with the sad man. We now knowings where she is, we can save all of them."
Almost running over to the armoury Bruce turns to Clark and shouts,
"Let Lobo out, we found her!"
Everyone set off to the docks in their own unique way, Batman, John and Zatanna are in the Batmobile. Paulo, jazz and Damian are on Widow's bike with Lobo following behind. Superman and Deadman were flying above the group.
Upon arrival at the Mazzucchelli Docking House, Batman climbs out of the Batmobile and sets some explosives on the doors before ducking for the Batmobile using it as cover.
Langstrom's Secret Laboratory
"When Professor Arcane brought you in, you smelled of the Bat. But you're not the Bat, you also had fangs... Now you don't, would you mind explaining why that is?" Langstrom said as he stood up from the bed. Widow hadn't moved from the protective circles, wounds healed but they have left scars.
"I'm not fully Human...I will say no more if that monster is here." Widow said looking out of the cell door, then at the broken camera.
"I will have a look for you seeing as you are refusing to leave those circles... He's not there, please explain to me how you can heal from your wounds so quickly and what you are?" Kirk said sitting back down on the bed, note pad in hand.
"I'm half Human, by curse and by birth not by choice. I'm over 300 years old... and I'm a monster hunter. Other than a few friends you are the only one who has talked to me like a Human, so thank you. I cannot tell you more than that, but to let you know my other half isn't Werewolf. Because of what I am, I heal at a faster rate than any Human or Werewolf." Widow says calm but cautiously not letting too much go. Sensing something wasn't right, she started to feel dizzy. Seeing a crooked grin appear on the face of a blurry Langstrom, he fully morphs into Arcane. Glaring angrily at him, her eyes change colour and fangs peeking out from her top lip. She digs her nails into her palms making them bleed, murmuring a small spell as blood drips on the circles causing them to glow, she growls at him before passing out,
"You evil son of a bitch... you'll... Pay... For..."
"No doubt I will, eventually. Those circles won't protect you for long, Miss Van Helsing... When your magic runs out you're mine. Thank you for being so cooperative, I wish I had thought of it sooner. Because of your sympathy for the professor, I know who and what you are, you are my key to immortality. I tried this once with Mr Alec Holland the one you know as Swamp Thing... But unlike Alec Holland you won't get chance to disappear on me, stealing my chance at being a true God to these miserable bags of flesh... Get comfy my dear for this night isn't over yet." Arcane began to gloat before hearing Man-Bat screech, followed by the sound of exploding rubble and metal.