*Inner monologue of John Constantine*
Damn, did Bats need to make so much noise? If there is a horde of half starved wolves in there, I don't want to be ringing a giant blastingdinner bell. Ah feck it! You only live once - sometimes, (Red Hood not included). What's one more fun night on the tiles? The Bat will owe me a drink after this... A very, very strong drink.*
Mazzucchelli Docking House
With a loud boom the doors and part of the wall of the Docking House were blown away, flames, rubble and metal flying everywhere.
"You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off." John shouts jokingly. Only to receive a cold stern glance from Batman. Suddenly a screech came out of the burning darkness, a Bat shaped figure flies above the smoke.
"Get down!" Batman shouts as Man-Bat swoops down towards them angrily. With a flash of brown fur and dark leather-like skin wings, Man-Bat just misses his mark... Just. Nightjay and Lobo stood back to back, Nightjay turning into his werewolf form. Lobo looks back sullenly unable to do the same saying,
"When we get to Red and when she removes this thing, I'm gonna cut loose and bring back Arcane's head as a trophy."
"Not before myself and Batman gets a swipe you won't. We care too much about Widow not to give her a chance at him either." Nightjay growls through his muzzle.
Turning to Nightjay, he notices Batman over hearing the conversation, Lobo grins saying,
"You'll have to beat me to him, I gave my vow to her and that is something the Main Man won't break. How's about a little bit of competition then? If I get to him first, I kill him and have his head for display on my HAWG. If you get to him, you get to kill him and drag his remains to Red for burnin'... If the Bat gets to him tho' he'll hand Arcane over to Widow for a fair judgement."
"NO KILLING!" Batman shouts as he charges into the fiery doorway.
"Ah yah damned spoil sport! Hey magic losers! you got furry company incoming!" Lobo shouts as he spots two angry and hungry Werewolves heading toward John and Zatanna.
"Raef ni rewoc dna eciov ym ot netsil" *listen to my voice and cower in fear* shouted Zatanna, magic energy crackling around her. One of the werewolves stopped suddenly and put his tail between his legs and began to cower in fear, whining for her to stop.
The other one lunges at John, pinning him down trying for a bite, smelling her breath he winced as he said,
"For all the fires of hell yeah bitch, do you even know how to rinse your mouth after eating fresh meat? You smell worse than a putrid slaughter house."
"Be silent! Or I'll bite your face off... Little man, you know that I can." She snaps at him, teeth millimetres away from John's nose.
"Whatever you say Alice! Cop a load of this then, sned fordanim phyrosis. *form set on fire* " John said back as his palms glow bright yellow. Seconds later the She wolf was on fire and running to the water of the docks.
Damian, Jazz and Ambrose see a break in the fire and they charge into the burning building shouting,
"Charge!"
Damian leading the way, followed closely by Jazz with Ambrose riding on his back, tiny toothpick sword in hand. Superman and Boston see the charge, Superman decides it was getting too hot so he put out the flames with his frost breath. Boston just shrugged and said,
"Man I still think that cat's crazy, we'd better help that lot."
Pointing down to the small group near the Batmobile, just as another three werewolves come out of the darkness ready to kill them.
Inside Langstrom's laboratory
Crouching down near a pool of blood, Batman scanned all the areas of the room. Scanning the blood he sighs with relief for it didn't belong to Widow. Tapping on his gauntlet keyboard as a holographic screen popped up. The blood belonged to Andrea Capullo, Metropolis' most wanted computer hacker. Was she one of the werewolves or a prisoner of Arcane? Standing up, Batman walks to the double doors across the way, lightly pushing them open he sees a bloodied medical chair with well used restraints and rusty tools on a silver tray next to it, a semi broken lightbox on the wall with x-rays on it. In the corner of the room was a workbench with broken bottles and a decommissioned mixing unit. This must be where the experiments were performed, and with no form of sanitation in sight. Seeing doors on the other side of the laboratory seeing a shadow behind the misty glass and hearing raised voices, Batman slowly walks to the doors and listens to the conversation.
"But my lord Arcane... If you cannot get to her because of her magic, how do you expect me to? Twice now one of the Howlers nearly died trying to find a way in." Came the female voice.
"Don't you dare disobey me Andrea, get that creature out of that cell and into the van upstairs. Do it now or be punished in many ways, if not by me then by the dark league or the Batman... The choice is yours." Came the cruel voice of Anton Arcane.
Without a single thought Batman kicks the doors knocking Andrea off her feet. Arcane just glances at him before disappearing into a black void. Picking Andrea up off the floor, Batman ties her hands behind her back. roughly turning her to face him he growls at her saying,
"Where is Red Widow?"
"Last cell on this row, be careful she's got some weirdo voodoo magic going on. No one can get to her right now... As I tried to explain to Lord Arcane, the circles she cast are blocking the way. Two of my pack have become injured trying to get her. I don't know why she is so important to him? I will not risk my life just for his pleasure any more." Andrea said with a sulk before Damian and Jazz entered.
Outside That Mazzucchelli Docking House
Three werewolves gather around the small group of heroes (*though some of them would deny they were heroes*). Getting ready for a good old fashioned fight Nightjay howls with excitement and Lobo grips his chain and hook, with the worlds biggest grin on his face. Looking around, Superman stands between the two of them also ready for a fight. Boston floats to John and Zatanna saying,
"We need to get inside and help Batman, he won't be able to handle all this alone, especially if there is any more than one or two werewolves in there. Plus there's the threat of Arcane still in there, so until Swamp Thing shows back up we're the ones that have got to help Bats fight the rotting flesh bag."
"He's right John, we better get inside. Lobo! Nightjay! Superman! Can you three handle things out here?" Zatanna shouts just before she runs after John.
"Sure thing Honey Buns, it just means more fun for us!" Lobo shouts, looking back with a grin at his new black furry pal he continues,
"Let's say we forget our vows for this short period of time, and kick the gizz out of these furry geeks." He says to Nightjay who pounces on a she wolf, smiling as he throws the hook and chain at the closest werewolf.
Laboratory Holding Cells
"Show me... NOW!" Batman commanded. Pushing Andrea forward along the cells.
"Quit your pushing! I'll take you there but don't say I didn't warn you." Andrea snapped as she was forcefully pushed forward.
Arriving at the cell Batman looks in, two brightly glowing circles drawn in blood, surrounding a curled up and still unconscious Red Widow, who is still chained by one wrist to the wall. Instinctively Batman reaches out his hand before John arrives in time to stop him saying,
"You can't break the circle mate... there are rules to this sort of thing. No one can get in, that is unless you're her or have her blood running through your veins. I think that's how this blood magic thing works anyway, I've only seen it used once and that was when I was in Liverpool on the local clubcircuit. Problem is it was used by someone else entirely, this woman She had white hair and was far younger."
"John let him try, there is more to this than you know." Superman said placing a hand on John's shoulder. Lobo and Nightjay walk in covered in blood, they were arguing over the fact the werewolves and Man-Bat suddenly disappeared in a void of black mid battle.
Sighing, John looked at everyone and just shrugged his shoulders and said,
"Fine be my guest, but be careful... You could just survive it, disrupting a magic circle like this one, but you never know we could all be wearing 50 shades of Bat blood by the end of the night..."
"I know the risks and I accept them." Batman said slowly putting his hand forward towards Widow. Suddenly he draws his hand back as the magic crackles in a fiery red colour and singes his gloved hand.
"See told you, you can't just..." John said but stopped as he sees Batman take off his glove, watching in amazement as he pulls out a Batarang and cuts his palm.
Holding out his palm before him Batman takes a cautious step forward towards the first of the two circles. The magic coming from the outer circle floated up to meet him, crackling again but this time with a rose gold hue. Batman walks past the first circle unharmed. He had broken the enchantment of the first one but the second one proved more resistant to him. Widow began to come to as she saw through blurry eyes a shadowy figure in front of the innermost circle. Thinking it was Arcane she got to her knees and clenched her hand again causing more blood to flow, her palm facing towards the figure, blood dripping on the inner circle. The circle glowed bright temporarily blinding everyone, undeterred Batman placed his palm on hers, breaking the second circle.
"Stay back... Monster... Y... You will not." Was all Widow could muster before collapsing into Batman's waiting arms.
"Blimey Bats... You sure you don't know blood magic?... Wait, I just figured it out. You're really her..." John said before he was tackled to the ground by a furry Andrea who had broken free from her bonds.
"Thank you Batman for breaking the magic circles for my lord and master, he was hoping you could do it." Andrea said before standing and pressing a button on the wall. All the other doors swung open with a loud clang. The group suddenly hear hungry growling werewolves, they form a protective circle around the now vulnerable Batman and Widow. Superman and Damian forming the last line of defence. Lobo, Nightjay, Ambrose and Jazz forming the first, as John and Zatanna take centre point. Laughing, Andrea howls calling her pack of 12 werewolves for supper, turning to the group she says through her muzzle,
"Did you think my Lord Arcane didn't know what you were planning? For the past few days now... Before Miss Van Helsing put those damn magic circles there, we were injecting her with a mixture of professor Langstrom's serum and essence of Rot. In her fevered and unstable moments, she told us quite a few interesting things. Like how she's over 300 years old, she's a monster hunter etc. Soon she will transform into a full Werewolf and be under my master's control... All it takes is her being awake and her first sight of a full moon."
Hearing this, Batman pulls out his injection gun filled with a long lasting tranquilizer, he injects Widow. Seeing what Batman did and seeing Batman nod, Superman quickly takes Widow out of the cell and to the watchtower.
"No! My master will kill you for this! He will kill me too!" Screams Andrea as she heads an attack on the remaining group members.
Lobo and Nightjay are more than willing to fight, John and Zatanna cast a ward spell over the group to protect them from any kind of wayward magic and physical harm. Jazz and Ambrose charge towards the wolves followed by Batman and Damian, katana at the ready. Covered in blood Lobo laughs shouting, "Smile dipstick!" As his hook caught an open jaw. Batman glares at Lobo before punching one of the werewolves. The nine remaining hungry Werewolves soon found they couldn't harm the group so they turn on Andrea mauling her to death.