Justice League the Next Generation
Chapter 14 'Old Fears'
(New York – Lex Corp Building)
Red X watched as the girl screamed and cried. Her thrashing was becoming more animalistic by the second. He turned toward Crane who was writing down notes and seemed to be completely lost in the moment of watching the girl.
"What's going to happen to her Doc?" Red X asked.
"Soon the terror in her mind will over whelm her completely. She will have the choice of facing those terrors, or of completely losing her mind. Most people simply lose their minds because they lack the mental discipline to successfully face their fears." Dr. Crane said as he turned back toward Hermes and watched the half Kryptonian as he groaned in pain.
"This one won't last much longer." Crane said as he nudged Hermes shoulder.
"He'll be fine. Our employer said that she would ensure he would survive just fine." Red X said as he watched the door open and a woman stepped in. She walked toward Hermes and stopped for a second. Slowly she knelt down next to him and gently touched his cheek. She shook her head and stood up walking toward Jason.
"My connection to my 'half sister' isn't as strong as her bond to her twin, but she will be here soon. Crane what we discussed be sure it is ready to go." Alexandra said as she looked toward Olivia.
Quickly Alexandra walked toward the girl and quickly took pictures with her cell phone as the daughter of Oliver and Dinah Queen clawed her arms trying to get whatever was on her off.
"Send these pictures to the Queens. The phone itself is a charge and drop. Give them a ransom demand. Be creative and make sure to tell them that you want it hand delivered." Alexandra said as she smiled to Jason.
"The Doc said that she'll lose her mind before long. Do you want her to receive the antidote?" Jason asked.
"Absolutely not. Let her go insane." Alexandra said as she walked toward the wall and smiled.
"The beginning is also the end." She said with a small chuckle.
(Grayson house – Living Room – Twenty minutes later)
Bruce had already contacted the league to trace Hermes' communicator. He then sat down and began to remotely access the Wayne Tech phone service to track Hermes' cell phone. A few minutes later he smirked as he saw the cell emitting a weak signal in New York. He began typing furiously and soon the digital map began to pull down further. He watched the location of cell phone was between the theater Hermes and Olivia had went to and Luthor Corp's New York Tower.
"Batman… We can't locate the communicator." J'onn said after a few moments.
"J'onn I need you to contact Arrow and Canary. Both of them need to be informed of what is going on." Bruce said before he cut off of the communicator.
"Dick, We need to check out the Luthor building." Bruce said as he stood.
"Those two… If they have hurt him… I swear I'll teach them the meaning of pain." Galatea said as she tried to compose herself.
Diana looked at her daughter-in-law with complete understanding. She had seen Thomas hurt before, and her reaction had been to attack the creature that had caused it. Now Galatea was in a similar situation and she would help her daughter-in-law in any and every way that she could.
(Oliver and Dinah's Summer Penthouse – Manhattan New York)
Dinah looked over the list of appearances she and Ollie had to make for the various humane society benefits, and various union benefits that Ollie had insisted be held. She heard her phone going off and pulled it out. She quickly clicked the soft key sending her straight to a video of Olivia Queen clawing her arms and screaming in terror.
"OLLIE!" Dinah screamed as she watched her daughter screaming in terror at an unknown source.
Oliver came into the room and saw the video on the camera. He pressed the communicator to call the watchtower, but instead was contacted by J'onn. Dinah looked at him and then a moment later a voice appeared on the video.
"Your daughter is quite entertaining, but we are willing to part with her. Bring fifteen million in a mixture of cash, transferrable bonds, and jewelry. Be at this address in less than two hours. Failure to do so will result in a very, very bad night for your daughter." The sinister voice said before the video ended.
(Luthor Corp Building – New York – Room where Hermes and Olivia Queen are being held in)
Hermes opened his eyes and looked around the room. He felt bandages on his arms and heard someone humming lightly. He strained his eyes and saw a woman who looked like his mother in the darkness, but she smelled different. He didn't smell the little things about his mother on this woman. She didn't have the smell of their kitchen, or of his mother's favorite perfume on this woman. He began to sit up and found a hand on chest.
"Lay back down." The woman said as she turned on a light.
As he looked at her he realized that this woman could easily have been his mother's sister. She had strawberry blond hair, her face looked much like his mother's except for her green eyes, her voice sounded nearly the same with the exception of a coldness in her voice.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked as he tried the restraints on his arms.
She clicked her tongue and looked toward the door.
"There are some things you can't help. A scorpion can't help that it will attack almost anything including someone who is only trying to help it. A rattle snake can't help that it will strike and possibly kill someone who protect it from poaching, and I can't help that I was born to take down the justice league. My Father made it very clear that his one wish was for us, my brother and I, to destroy the league and everyone connected to it. I find myself unable to kill you. I think that it is because of my 'half' sister. My connection to her also gives me the bond that she has with you. Actually with you and your sister. I could no more kill you than I could cut off my own hand, but I need to keep you here so that I can do what I am suppose to. Go to sleep, and tomorrow things will be different." She said as she stood.
"Don't please… don't do this. You don't have to do any of this." He said as he looked at her.
She rested her hand on the door frame for a moment and then shook her head.
"I am what I am child. I can't help that." She said as she squeezed the steel door frame and caused it to bend inward.
(Basement of Luthor Corp Building – Sewer Access)
Bruce quickly moved into the basement and listened for any sound that would indicate guards, but to his surprise he heard nothing. He looked back to see Diana, Dick, and Galatea move into the same room and then he heard a soft chuckle fill the air.
"You know Batman we've played before, but not like this. This time I've outdone myself." Crane's voice echoed through the basement. The darkness of the basement began to change.
As Bruce walked he began to see old brick buildings on either side. He slowly turned and looked behind him to see no one else around and then looked ahead of him to see two shadowy figures walking further down the alley. He began to move toward them and then saw a man step out from the shadows holding a dingy and dirty gun. The man aimed it at the first figure and stretched out his hand. He watched as the man turned toward the second figure and grabbed a string of pearls from her neck. Slowly the figures began to take shape and became solid. He looked at his father attempt push the man back from his mother and the gun went off. Suddenly the man aimed it at his mother and shot her causing her to fall. Next the man turned the gun toward him.
"Tell me kid, ever dance with the Devil in the pale moon light?" The man asked as he pulled the hammer back.
The sound of sirens began to fill the air and the man turned and ran down the alley. Bruce cleared his head. This was just the fear gas and he was not in the alley. He was in the basement of Luthor Corp's New York tower. He walked a few steps and turned to see Diana being held up by Lexington Luthor. His eyes widened as he watched the demented son of Lex Luthor strip her bodice off and roughly grab her.
"You are a thorough bred aren't you?" Lexington asked has he back handed Diana into a wall causing the Amazon Princess to stumble for a second before the twisted son of Lex Luthor casually walked toward her and kicked her hard in the ribs.
"My father said to kill all of the Justice League, but instead… Instead I'm going to do something better to you. Why kill you when I can just make you a whore. A lifetime being subjected to the worst kind of torment for an Amazon." Lexington said as he began to lift her again and Bruce ran forward only to find himself moving through them like smoke.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Bruce shouted as he pulled the Kryptonite ring Clark had entrusted him with and swung at Lexington only to watch his fist pass through him.
"It's not real." Bruce said as he slowed his breathing and the vision passed. He closed his eyes and made his hand find his belt. He quickly injected the antidote into his blood stream and then listened to the area around him.
(Galatea's delusion)
Galatea watched as Alexandra Luthor lifted Dick by his throat. She rushed forward only to feel the floor grab her ankles and her wrists. Alexandra kissed Dick on the cheek and then began to squeeze her hand close. Galatea watched as Alexandra's fingers moved into Dick's throat and then she pulled them roughly out. The evil daughter of Lex Luthor laughed as Dick thrashed on the floor for several seconds. Screaming in rage Galatea ripped free from the force holding her and flew straight toward Alexandra.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Galatea screamed as she reached the half kryptonian and slammed her hard into the wall.
The daughter of Lex Luthor hit her, but Galatea didn't feel it. She felt nothing inside except for the hurt, anger, and hate all caused by vicious bitch in her grasp. Another hard strike, but again she ignored it. Nothing matter except for getting vengeance for Dick. She heard a choked sob coming from Alexandra and slowly a familiar hand touched her back. She turned to see Dick standing behind her and looked back in front of her to see Dinah Queen. The Black Canary looked to be hurt, and Galatea quickly did a check with her X-ray vision to see that she had broke two of Dinah's ribs, cracked her hip, and caused some internal bruising.
"Oh God, Oh God Dinah I'm so sorry." Galatea said as lowered her son's girlfriend's mother to the floor.
Bruce looked to see Diana fighting with Oliver and quickly made his way toward her. He could hear her shouting that she was going to kill him for killing Bruce. Quickly he threw the antidote toward Diana and watched as the dart hit and quickly injected her with the antitoxin. Slowly Diana shook her head and looked at Oliver who had been dodging her attacks for the last few minutes.
"Someone intended for us to tear each other apart down here." Bruce said as he looked toward the door and could still hear Crane cackling over the intercom.
"It's not over Batman. That batch of fear will resurface a few times before the night is out." Crane said over the intercom.
"I wondered where you had took off to Crane." Bruce said as he checked the door for traps.
"Oh I've been busy setting up my greatest experiment in fear. This entire building and all within it are my test subjects." He said with another chuckle.